Dream's End
by NightShade 0-1
Summary: (a rewrite) Okay, so I may or may not have accidentally brought some people into a fantasy world. Well, for now, I gotta focus on keeping them alive. Man, I got my work cut out for me, especially since I might have also suggested that they join the Shepherds instead of just staying out of trouble.
1. Chapter 1

**Dream's End**

A rewrite of a Fire Emblem: Awakening Fanfiction under the Realmwalker Project

 **Continuum 1- Part 1**

Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem nor its characters

 **Chapter 1: "Don't you just hate it when you wake up in an alternate universe? No? Okay then."**

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

 _Okay then. Where am I this time?_

You know, waking up outside shouldn't be a common occurrence but when you have friends who both like to drink and pull pranks, not to mention you're in college, it just is.

 _Grassy plains, no food crops, no paved roads, no anything. What the hell- oh look, hill._

I went up the hill to get a better view of the surroundings. About a mile or so (I'm horrible at this) away, I saw a town built beside a river but I didn't see any paved roads leading in or out.

 _Just dirt roads, huh? Seems about right, that's one tiny town_

Finishing the thought, I headed out for the town, hoping I could figure out where I am

When I reached the town, my confusion only grew. First and most obviously, the buildings did NOT look normal. It's as if the town was trying to look old on purpose. Next was the lack of any motor vehicles. Even assuming that this was in the poorest part of the country, there would at least be ONE car, truck or elsewise but nope, nothing. Finally, the people. They looked different and if you listen in on their conversations, you'll hear stuff that wouldn't make sense: Bandits, War, Plegia. Something about all of this feels extremely familiar but I just can't figure out why. I'd better ask around first, still need to figure out where I am.

"Excuse me sir but could you tell me just where I am? I'm not from around these parts and I'm a bit lost at the moment"

"Of course! You're in Southtown, stranger"

 _Southtown? Where'd I hear about that befo- Oh shit._

I'm in Fire Emblem Awakening

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

Okay, so yesterday, I woke up in this room with no idea how the hell I got here. On a nearby table, there was a bag containing some food, water, medicine, a bedroll, a pouch of coins and, for some reason, a sword. Beside it was a small notebook. Written on the first page was:

 **Grayson Corvus**

 **Gather the Wanderers. Beware the Warden. Awaken the Walker.**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 _The fuck is this? Some sort of mystery novel shit?_

I put down the notebook, picked up the bag and was about to head out until I noticed the notebook was turned to the second page which read:

 **Well fuck you, I spent half an hour trying to think of something cryptic to write.**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 _Okay then… That was… almost scary. Either he wrote that down beforehand, anticipating my possible response, or this is some Tom Riddle shit right here. Either way, it's still creepy. I need to figure out what's going on._

I was so lost in my thoughts that next thing I knew, there was writing on the third page too:

 **All right, I'll help you out. First, this IS, in fact, some "Tom Riddle shit". Next, you are in what's basically an alternate universe. Now go ahead and try to figure out what all of this means.**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 _All right. So I have a bag with supplies that, for some reason, contains a weapon. I have what's basically Tom Riddle's diary and, through it, have received information that states that I am in an alternate universe. Lemme guess, Stryker, Fanfic?_

I turned the page and saw a response:

 **Atta boy. Now do what you will with that information. Actually, you know what you have to do. Just follow the laws of fanfic (you've got little choice anyway).**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

Great. Just great. I'm either incredibly drunk or incredibly wasted.

 _Please let me be just drunk. Bad things happen when I'm wasted._

Wait a minute, what if I'm neither of the two? Nah, that couldn't be.

 _Right?_

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

 _I'm in a game. How am I in a game? Wait, focus, Albireo. You're probably just lucid dreaming. You stayed up until 1 AM playing Awakening. Yes, that would explain it._

After constructing that idea, I found myself a LOT more collected. I decided to just act like any other person in the game. Thankfully, I have a pouch of coins in my pocket. That should help me act normal (don't ask why having money would help in this kind of situation, it just does)

 _All right, what first? Food? Yes. Food._

I looked for any place to eat and found myself at a small tavern

"Excuse me" I asked the barkeep "What do you have today?"

"Well, we're mostly out but we still have some grilled pork left over"

"How much for a full plate?"

"Quite the appetite, I see. That will be 4 silvers"

I took out two gold coins and gave them to the barkeep. He only took one and gave me six silver coins as change. I guess that means ten silvers is one gold and they give change here (uh, duh. He just did)

"Oh, pardon me but do you have any rooms?"

"Why yes. Six silvers. You want one?"

"Of course"

I handed back the six silver coins and he gave me a key

"Your room's the left one at the end of the hallway upstairs"

"Alright then. Thank you" Be polite, you can't defend yourself.

 _I'll need a weapon later. Wait, what am I thinking, I can't use any weapons. Hold on, how long will I be here before I wake up? I might not get a chance to meet the Shepherds or even see any action. Oh well, enjoy it while it lasts._

I looked over to the side and noticed a man eyeing me strangely. Probably just because of the way I was dressed. Meh.

* * *

"Excuse me, sir, here's your meal" a young boy said, holding a rather large plate of pork and some vegetables

"Oh, thank you. Here you go" I took out a silver coin and gave it to the boy who smiled at me before leaving. Well, time to eat. The food was practically calling me at this point

 _Perfect-looking food at a low-class tavern? I love you idealized dream world_

* * *

After eating, I went to my room where I found a bag. I opened it and saw some food, water, medicine, a bedroll and a modern-looking crossbow and some ammo

 _Great, I think I can use this._

It makes sense how in my dream I end up having a weapon that isn't as uncommon in the real world as the others.

Next to the bag, I found a piece of paper that read:

 **Albireo Masters**

 **First off, welcome to Fire Emblem Awakening. Now I recommend that you get yourself comfortable because this isn't a dream, you're in it for real. Second, don't get too cocky just because you know what's gonna happen. You've been warned. Lastly, you're not the only one sent here. Well, that's that. Good luck and (hopefully) have fun**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 **P.s. Someone's waiting for you outside**

 **P.p.s. He has the book you can use to communicate with me**

 **P.p.s.s. Hurry up, he's getting cranky**

 _What?_

Then I heard a loud knocking on my door

 _Wait, the note was right?_

"All right, calm down. Here, it's open, come in" and he did. The exact same guy who was looking at me weird back downstairs. And without so much as a 'hello', he went straight to interrogating me.

"Alright, what's your name? Where are you from? Do you-"

"Easy, easy. My name's Albireo. I'm a traveler from Valm-"

"I call bull on that. Travelers don't wear that kind of clothing"

"Where I come from, they do"

"And where is that?"

"I already told you, I'm from Valm"

"Valm? Wait, so that means I'm in Fire Emblem 13"

"Yes- Wait, you know that? You're aware that you're in a video game?"

"Well, more like a fanfiction actually"

"Oh. Well, there goes the flimsy cover story I made up"

"Why do you think I went to you in the first place?"

"Well then, let's start over. I'm Albireo Masters and I'm from New York"

"City?" he asked. I nodded 'yes' "Well then, I'm Grayson Corvus from Newport"

"Newport? Um… Rhode Island?"

"Yeah" he replied

"So, what do you need?"

"I need someone to help me with this alternate universe stuff and you're the only one who'll understand it"

"Okay then, carry on"

"Okay, so according to the laws of fanfic- don't ask- we have to work together and either see the story through to the end or fuck the plot right up the ass. Now, what do you have in mind?"

"Simple, join up with the Shepherds, follow the game and poof, done. There's nothing after the plot so that should mean the end of the story and we could go home"

"Yeah but if we make ourselves too involved then things will change and everything could go to shit"

"I don't get your meaning"

"Ugh. Here, do you read fanfiction?"

"Well, yeah, although I'd never admit it to anyone who doesn't"

"Good, have you read 'Asleep' and 'Of Daydreams and Nightmares'?"

"Yeah- Oh. I see what you're getting at"

"Point is we can't just run around changing stuff. We have to act carefully and precisely"

"Oh, all right. Yeesh, I'm starting to understand what Lucina would've felt"

"Exactly"

Suddenly, I remembered something important "Wait, what about shipping?" yeah I know, I definitely have my priorities straight

"Oh, for the love of- WE CAN'T JUST HOOK PEOPLE UP FOR OUR OWN ENTERTAINMENT!"

"But why?"

"That counts as 'Changing stuff'. If we end up shipping people together we have to do so very carefully"

"Hm, all right"

"Good. So for now, I guess we could join up with Chrom for a while. We're in Southtown already and since the bandit attack is probably due later in the afternoon, I guess we have some time to prepare. Go get yourself some less conspicuous clothes"

"Less conspicuous? Look at what you're wearing" I mean come on, he looks like he was trying to go for the Assassin's Creed look but with a lot of gray and green . Definitely not conspicuous

"By that, I mean more fitting given our situation. We're in a fantasy game, dress for the part" he said, smiling

"Dude, for someone so serious about getting out of here, you are WAY too happy about that one little detail"

"Well, I gotta make the most of it" he shrugged "Anyway, you'd better get going"

"All right. You staying here?" he nodded

"Okay then. I'll be back in about an hour or so. We still need to plan"

"Right. Oh, and if you see anything important-looking, come back immediately"

"Got it"

"And if you see any mercenaries, soldiers or guards, tell them to prepare for a possible attack"

"All right. Bye mom" I said as I left the room

"Oh screw you"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 1**

* * *

 **A/N** Okay, so for those who noticed, this is basically a rewrite of my story of the same title (which I deleted)

The reasons why I decided to delete it were:

-I figured that with the way I was writing it, the plot will definitely fly out of control and next thing I know, even I have no idea what's happening.

-Generally bad writing

As for Stryker, well, he's the overused alternate universe guide character

Well, that's all for now. Criticisms are welcome so please review (and don't worry, I posted three chapters in one go so you have something to read until I update this)

-NS01 out-


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: "Oh look! Heavily-armed bandits! Let's run STRAIGHT TOWARDS THEM!"**

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

It's been about half an hour since Albireo left. All I've been doing was look at myself in the mirror or look at my sword. A lot.

Well, who can blame me? My dad (who, by the way, is an ultra-nerd) taught me about weapons- You know, guns, swords, slingshots, Legos on the floor at night- so I could tell that this sword was unique.

Its hilt was rather short, barely long enough for both of my hands. The guard and pommel were intricately designed being nearly identically shaped in the form of- well honestly, I don't know what they're supposed to resemble, really. Ok, take the wings of an SU-47 Berkut fighter (yeah, dad taught me about those too. He has this fascination with military equipment and hardware) and make them face the right way. Yeah, kinda close to that with the leading edges pointed inward toward the hilt. The only differences were that the pommel was (obviously smaller) had the tip cut off making it look like a W (why didn't I just say that?). But the interesting part was the blade. At first glance, it seems normal but if you look closely, you'll notice that the fuller is actually a split in the blade and the tip ends in a notch, meaning it's actually two swords in one and so has two tips. Not only that but while it's very light, when I swing it, it somehow moves with more momentum than it should for an object of such weight. Simply speaking, it has a weight close to that of a rapier but could hit almost as hard as a claymore.

Wow, I'm not sure if what I was saying even right. Need to brush up on those lessons again when I get back.

 _If I get back._

I absently made my way to the mirror on the desk and looked at myself. I examined how much I've changed from before I got here.

I've grown almost a full inch putting my height at around five-foot-eleven. My body, while not exactly muscular, had a somewhat athletic leanness to it, close to that of an acrobat.

The most striking differences, however, were on my face. My eyes, once hazel, are now –almost glowing- green and my hair changed as well- from brown to gray. Those changes were the things I noticed most and even what prompted me to choose this outfit: Gray pants with green accents, a light, hooded coat with the same color scheme. Gray undershirt, flowing green scarf (BECAUSE I CAN)

I was shaken from my thoughts when I heard a hurried knocking on the door

"Come in"

Albireo hurriedly opened the door with an urgent look on his face

"Why? What'd you find?"

"Robin's here" he replied

"With the Shepherds?"

"No. On her own"

"Shit." I looked out at the hallway and sure enough, there stood (female) Robin

"It's not just that. You see, I saw her walking through town and I recognized the coat instantly. I approached her and called her but when she faced me, she blacked out instantly. Then, a few seconds later, she woke up and when I asked her if she was okay, she said she was and she thanked me"

"And?"

"Dude, she thanked me BY NAME"

 _Well… double shit_

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

 _Well, this is wierd_

First I wake up on the outskirts of town. Next, when I went to said town to ask where I am, a man suddenly called my name (at least, I think it was my name) and when I turned to face him, I suddenly blacked out. Then when I regained consciousness, I noticed he had caught me so I thanked him but when I did, I called him Albireo which, based on the shocked look he gave me, was the correct name even though I could swear I had never met him before. A few moments of panicking on his part and he then led me here where he and his friend- apparently named Grayson- are having a rather lively discussion about something which I could safely assume involved me. Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails out of whatever they're saying.

"- I'm telling you, the possible consequences to the timeline if Chrom goes into battle without her are unpredictable. Everything we understand is literally dependent on today's battle" Grayson explained, clearly distressed

"Yeah but there is the possibility of her being an alternate version"

"We can't afford to take chances with this, she needs to get to Chrom"

"I don't think so" Albireo said "See, without the wake-up intro, she wouldn't really be as attached to the Shepherds as she should. Since we found her first, she should probably stick with us. We're gonna join up with them anyway, right?"

"That's not-" Grayson stopped mid-sentence "-really wrong" he thought for a moment before deciding

"Okay, fine. Hey, Robin!" he called. I simply looked at him

"You okay with sticking with us?" he asked "We're kinda in the same situation as you anyway"

"You… don't remember anything either?"

"Well, not that. I meant we're kinda lost too. So, what do you say?"

"Well, you two don't really seem lost but sure, I could use some company. You two seem to be familiar with me for some reason"

"Well, we'll discuss that later. Anyway, Robin, I hope you're armed"

 _What? Why?_

"Hold on, I'll check" I looked in my coat and found a book with a strange symbol on it- like six fish arranged in such a way that they almost look like six eyes arranged in two columns and a sword between the two columns.

"Well, I'm not sure but I think this is a tome" I said, holding it up

Upon seeing it, their eyes widened in in shock(?)

"Uhm. What's wrong?"

Albireo recovered first "Ah, well, nothing. It's nothing" he said. However, looking at Grayson, I'm pretty sure it wasn't 'nothing'. Well, whatever. I guess this can be discussed later

"Wait, is that all you have?" Grayson asked "No sword, dagger or anything?"

"Uhm…" I checked my coat again "No, why?"

"Oh, nothing. Just in case you find yourself having trouble with magic" there goes 'nothing' again. At least this time, there's another answer.

 _Seriously, what's up with these two?_ _Do they know more than they're letting on? Probably so but why are they acting like the world's largest source of 'nothing'?_

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

So, the three of us have been sitting here for probably the last two hours or so just waiting for the bandit attack. Honestly, I'm about to shit my pants.

 _How'd I think that waiting for a bandit attack to meet it head-on is a good idea when I have no combat training whatsoever? Must be this alternate universe screwing with my thoughts._

To distract myself, I examined each of our weapons.

In the few hours I've had it, I practically know my crossbow inside out. Helps when your parents are both mechanics- and I'm not just talking cars, I mean literally EVERYTHING you can pick apart.

Okay, so instead of like a normal crossbow, instead of loading the bolts on the top, it uses a clip of up to six bolts. This limits the length of the ammo to only six inches but since each bolt is solid steel, they're still lethal. The clip functions like that of a firearm in that it pushes the ammo upwards automatically by spring. As for the crossbow itself, it's basically similar to a rifle except for the bow: the arms are attached to the sides of the barrel while the drawstring cuts down the middle. The bow is drawn by a sliding piece above the barrel the pulls the string and the trigger- well, it does its usual job. Honestly, the only thing missing is the safety.

 _Oh wait, there it is._

There's a stopper behind the trigger

 _Damn, talk about convenient_

Grayson's sword- well, it was cool and all, what with it actually being two swords according to him but that's pretty useless if he can't split it in half and dual-wield them. Honestly, it's too simple for me: I like things with complex parts so I can modify them if I want.

However, as for Robin's tome- A black book with the Mark of Grima and a golden sword down the middle- I was excited to see just what it can do. It definitely wasn't Grima's Truth- that would be a purple tome with a white Mark of Grima.

 _Well, it's definitely a personal weapon, that's for sure_

"They're here" Robin suddenly spoke up

"What? How do you know that?" I asked

"I hear people locking up in the hall"

"Yeah, so wha-" I was cut off by the sound of screaming from downstairs "Ugh. Never mind, let's go"

* * *

As we ran down the hallway, Robin began giving orders "Albireo, stay behind me, Grayson go ahead, rush 'em, we'll cover you"

"Got it" Grayson said as we reached the stairs to the tavern. From there, we could see three bandits looting the place. As he ran down the stairs, Robin and I fired on them. Apparently, her tome basically fires dark magic versions of standard anima magic- dark lightning, fire or wind. Don't ask how that's an improvement. It looks awesome.

And speaking of awesome, Grayson DID rush the bandits- the three who came in when they heard the magical fireworks. He rushed a bandit with a slash in a reverse grip and while that got blocked, he followed up with a heel kick to the gut, downing the bandit. He parried another bandit's axe- this time, in a normal grip (I have no idea how he can flip that sword that fast)- grabbed the guy's axe hand, and used it to pull himself up to knee him in the face and he STILL lands on his feet. The last bandit was nowhere to be found- probably ran off.

 _Oh shit it was a mage!_

"Grayson! Duck!" I called as he got up and faced me

 _Dammit! Should've stayed down!_

"What? Why-" he barely finished that sentence when a thunder spell hit his back, knocking him down

"Oh shit! Grayson!" I was gonna aim at the last bandit but Robin already took care of him with a dark bolt of electricity

 _Wow. Damn, Robin, that makes what, three kills to my one and Grayson's two? Oh, right, Grayson!_

I ran to his side and turned him over

"Dude, you okay?"

"No, man" he groaned "I loved this coat"

"Great, come on. With any luck, the Shepherds are probably outside. Let's get you to Lissa"

"But my coat…"

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

Okay, so whatever power trip I've been having due to this world's physics letting me do all that awesome ninja stuff was quickly cut off by a thunder spell to the back. Seriously, I have, like, ZERO magical resistance apparently

 _Okay, screw everything, I am so gonna abuse video game physics. After I get patched up of course_

"There, by the bridge" I said, barely lifting my arm in the Shepherds' general direction while Albireo carried me

"Remember" I groaned "Don't mess up the introduction"

"Yeah, yeah" Albireo replied "Hey, miss!" he called out to Lissa "We need a healer"

"Huh? Got it!" She called back "Robin, cover me!"

 _Robin? But she hasn't met her yet_

"Right!" a voice answered- a male voice.

 _Oh, for the love of- two tacticians?_

Male Robin (whom I will refer to as M!Robin from now on) ran up to Lissa and joined her as she went to our location

"What happened to him?" Lissa asked

"Thunder spell. On his back"

"Roll him over" Albireo did as he was told. Lissa then lifted my coat and shirt revealing the wound (injury? What marks does magic leave you with) and placed her palm on it. Almost instantly, The pain disappeared and I was filled with energy

"Wow" I said as I got up "Thank you miss…" I stopped, pretending I didn't know her

"Lissa. My name's Lissa"

"Oh. Well, thanks again. Now, it seems you're fighting these bandits too. Need help?"

"Oh, sure! I'll just tell Chrom over there" she said before running off, leaving M!Robin behind

"Um… Hey there" I said "So, my name's Grayson, guess we'll be working together, huh?" I said

"Yeah. Anyway my name's Robin"

"Funny, so's hers" I said pointing to F!Robin. M!Robin looked at her and his expression immediately turned to one of confusion

"Uh, yeah you two do look alike" I said "Anyway, now's not the time to discuss it. Maybe after we've dealt with the bandits?" I said. As if on cue, more bandits appeared from… well, everywhere but held back as if sizing us up. Meanwhile Chrom, Frederick and Lissa made their way to us, forming a defensive circle

"So," Chrom spoke "Lissa told us you'll help us fight these ruffians off"

"Yep" I replied

"Great. My name's Chrom, that there's Frederick" he said

"Grayson" I introduced myself before the others

"Albireo"

"Robin"

"Robin? Funny, we-" Chrom said before I cut him off

"Yeah, I went through this with your Robin already. Maybe later?" I said when the bandits started advancing on us

"Right"

"Okay then Albireo, Robin" M!Robin said "Fire at will. Concentrate on the closest ones first. When they make contact, shift fire to the enemy mages"

"Got it" F!Robin replied "Chrom, Grayson, Frederick, engage anyone who gets through our fire. Once all mages have been downed, push outward and clear everything in your way, we'll give you cover fire then" she ordered

The first bandits to rush us- swordsmen- weaved their way through the flurry of magic and arrows, somehow avoiding most but some getting hit and downed. The first one who got to me rushed straight at me and got a kick to the gut followed by a downward slash. The next one was more cautious. His strikes were measured and well-timed, I can't get a clear shot.

 _There_

As he slashed downward, I kicked his right leg, throwing him off-balance letting me stab him. A third bandit, this time an axeman, rushed wildly at me, holding his axe overhead

 _They just never learn not to rush me, huh. Well, I guess it's time to test just how well I can abuse fantasy physics_

I parried his axe as he swung it down. Using the momentum from my swing, I jumped up and spin-kicked him across the face and followed up with a right knee strike, driving his head into the ground as I landed, his face breaking against my knee.

 _RIP real-world physics, you will be missed. Aw, who am I kidding, no you won't._

"Alright, everyone, now!" both Robins shouted in unison. I immediately dashed off, adrenaline getting the best of me making me actively seek out the enemy. Well, that was hard since there were like, five left and Robin, Albireo and other Robin were already firing their magic and arrows at anything that wasn't us. I was disappointed by the fact that I only got one and that was after he got thrown back by a thunder spell.

"Aw, no fair. No killstealing!" I cried to Robin (don't ask which one)

"Cocky little bastard are you?" a voice said from my side. I turned and faced him.

 _Probably the level boss. I've killed you dozens of times before , this'll be easy_

"Well hi there mister…" I paused, trying to remember the man's name and failing "Well, I don't care who you really are. Sorry"

"Heh, let's see how clever you are when your guts are spilled out-" I barely let him finish before rushing his face with a reverse-grip slash. That he parried.

 _Shit, he's fast_

I spun into a heel kick to the gut but he just caught it.

"Heh heh. Think you're fast?" he said

 _Shitshitshit. All right, all or nothing_

With my left leg still in his arms, I tried to jump up to kick his face with my right- a desperate last resort. However, before I even got my right leg up, he lift me by the leg and slammed me into the ground.

I was out the moment my head hit the ground.

* * *

 **End of Chapter 2**

* * *

 **A/N** I think I have a bit of explaining to do.

Regarding Grayson almost being comfortable with killing, it's because he still sees this as just another fantasy, especially since he knows he's in a fanfiction. Therefore, while he has grown accustomed to this reality, he still views other people as just mere characters. This is something I plan on fixing.

As for the weapons, I'm sorry if I overdid the descriptions. Basically:

Grayson: Bifurcated sword (he can't split it yet but he will eventually. Why else would I give him that kind of weapon?). Unnamed

Albireo: Modified Crossbow. Unnamed

F!Robin: Tome that fires dark magic versions of lightning, fire and wind spells. Unnamed

M!Robin: (wait for it)

Yes, personal weapons for the two tacticians. Don't worry, the name confusion will be resolved

Well, that's all for now. Again, please review!

-NS01 out-

 ***Edit 20/5/16 Caught some typos**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 4: "And now, ZOMBIES! Well this day just keeps getting better and better!"**

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

 _Owowowow…_

Darkness… Just me in an empty, dark void.

 _Wow, this story element is DEFINITELY new. Yep. Totally not overused._

"Will you shut up about all this fanfiction shit for a minute" a male voice says

"Yep, DEFINITELY-"

"I SAID STOP IT ALREADY" the voice cuts me off

"Do you have any idea what could happen to you if you keep acting like this!? Not just you, but EVERYONE AROUND YOU!? "

"Pfft. What? What'd I do?"

"Look" he said a bit more calmly "I understand that your understanding of fanfiction logic is quite an advantage but you shouldn't rely on it too much. It could only get you so far. I mean, look what happened when you went up against a properly trained Plegian soldier- an officer, no less"

he continues "Here: Yes, you're a self-insert, but that doesn't mean you're special. All you have is knowledge. You know what you're capable of and you know how to manipulate this world's mechanics but that's it, that doesn't make you any more important than everyone else. Yes, they're just characters in a story but guess what? So are you."

"What I'm saying is, don't take killing as lightly as you did and don't be too ready to risk your life. Do what you must, nothing more, nothing less. Okay?" the voice said, his tone softer

I stayed silent for a few moments

"Yeah, I guess you're right. So, what, should I stop treating this whole thing as a story even though you told me in the book that it is?"

Stryker stayed silent. Likely out of shock that I knew it was him but come on, who else could it be?

"That would be the best thing to do… Can you, though?"

"Well, I could try at least"

"Thanks, man. Now, promise me you'll take better care of yourself. And Albireo, too. I haven't spoken to him yet, he probably wants answers"

"Yeah but I wouldn't worry about him too much. He's taking this all in pretty well"

"Oh yeah? Then good on him. Anyway, you've spent enough time unconscious, you better get up now."

"Okay then. Thanks for looking out for me, man"

"Anytime. Oh, by the way, I put another communicator tome in your bag for Albireo. I also changed the formatting so it looks like a chatroom"

"Wow, convenient. You're making our lives too easy for us"

"Yeah, well, if you need anything- within reason, of course- just call me through there, got it?"

"Yeah. Oh, wait, I got a question: How'd I get here in the first place"

"Well… Maybe next time"

"But-"

"TIME TO GET UP! FUTURE ZOMBIES DUE IN 1 HOUR! BYE NOW!"

"Wait, Stryker!" the void started collapsing(?) as I started to regain consciousness

 _Asshole_

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

While it might not have been a good idea to stay behind from Chrom's group while I'm still confused with my situation to look after Grayson, something about him just intrigued me.

First was his unique fighting style. While kicks and acrobatics didn't seem to be uncommon, the way he used them wasn't to stun or maneuver around the enemy but to overwhelm them through sheer shock and unpredictability. Judging from what happened to him, though, it seems that it doesn't work on faster or more experienced opponents. Next was his near-disregard of safety which I saw in the way he rushed the obviously experienced bandit leader.

But aside from these two things, it was something ELSE that intrigued me. I don't know why but I had a feeling that if I stick with him, I just might get some answers about who I am.

Suddenly, he stirred awake, nearly startling me

"Hey, you okay?" I asked

he sat up, holding his head "Yeah, yeah" he replied "Look, we gotta go after Chrom ASAP"

"Why? And are you sure that you're ready to go out again?"

"Dude, I'm fine. We gotta hurry up"

"Okay, but why?"

"I'll explain on the way"

* * *

We went to the innkeeper who was surprised that we needed horses at this time of night but after Grayson gave him five gold coins, he shut up and showed us to the stables where Grayson gave him another four (I have no idea how he came across that much money but I ain't complaining)

"Alright, Robin, which way's north?" he asked

"That way"

"Good, let's hurry up then"

"I know I've asked twice already but-"

"Shit's gonna go down" He said, almost (but not quite) no humor in his voice "Don't ask me how I know but it involves an earthquake, magic portals and zombies"

 _Wow, this guy clearly hasn't recovered yet_

"Dude, I KNEW you weren't okay yet!"

"Just trust me!" he shouted as he sped up his horse and I followed

* * *

About an hour later, as we rode through the woods, the earth started shaking

"It's happening!" Grayson shouted

 _Shit. He was right?_

"Robin, Take cover!" he shouted again before riding off

"What!?" I asked when suddenly, something exploded a few meters from me "Oh shit! Alright, got it!"

I steered my horse through the trees until the shaking and explosions stopped. I surveyed my current location- a small clearing around a pond- when I looked up and saw a portal open in the sky. Seconds later, it dropped several dark, humanoid figures

 _And I guess these would be the zombies_

I started preparing a lightning spell but suddenly, my horse reared up, dropped me, and ran away

 _Ow! Shit this is bad. Gotta get away before they get up. Let's see… Trees? But, how am I gonna get up_

Suddenly, an idea came to me.

I drew power from my sword and charged up a wind spell. When I couldn't hold it any more, I fired it into the ground and boosted myself into the air, flailing. Luckily, I was caught on a branch instead of falling back to the ground.

 _Yep, that hurt. But at least it worked. Now, just how bad is everything?_

I put my sword away and surveyed the area. While the tremor was certainly powerful, there weren't that many cracks and fissures on the ground. The lava projectiles barely downed any trees so that's good but the portal…

I looked at the skies, barely seeing anything through the leaves but the light filtering through only meant one thing: There's not just one portal, there's dozens, possibly HUNDREDS.

 _If all of those were dropping zombies, then we don't stand a chance if we're separated. We have to get to Chrom but I gotta get rid of these zombies first, but how? There's like,twenty of them_

Twenty-four total. Eight have axes, eight have swords, four have bows _,_ four have lances. I guess I could take some out from here but either the archers'll shoot me down before I get them or the axemen'll chop this tree down. No choice, stay hidden for now.

Suddenly, something caught the zombies' attention. A young man in blue rushed at the zombies with his sword, cutting down the closest one before engaging another one. Momentarily, the other zombies stood still but soon enough, they ran forward to set upon the man

 _Crap, this guy's toast. What do I do?_

Without thinking, I drew my sword, charged a wind spell and leapt off my branch. As I was about to land on a bow-wielding zombie, I fired my wind spell at it, both it and the zombie softening my landing before I slashed its head off. Instead of the usually disgusting spill of blood that would follow, however, the zombie simply turned into dark smoke. It was strange but that could wait until later.

I rapid-fired several lightning spells at the group of zombies to distract them as I ran towards the swordsman. When I reached him, I assumed a defensive stance beside him

"Need help?" I asked

The man said nothing

* * *

 _ **Marth**_

* * *

After saving Aunt Lissa from a risen, I quickly ran off to make a sweep of the area when I came to a clearing where many of the monsters were ambling idly until they noticed me. Seeing as I couldn't run as these things do not tire, I charged them, hoping I could pick them off since they were scattered. However, the instant I engaged them, they immediately rushed forward to attack.

They were almost upon me when a barrage of lightning spells hit their group, not quite killing but at the very least, knocking some down and distracting the others. It was then that a white-haired man who looked almost like Aunt Reflet went to my side and readied his sword

"Need help?" he asked. I stayed silent then nodded slightly

"All right. Attack in wide arcs, these things are a bit soft so if we strike hard enough, we can cut through them and hit the others"

 _Impressive, he already knows what we're up against_

I nodded again and did as he told. While we were able to cut through them at first, the effort required took its toll and eventually, we were forced to engage them more directly. At the very least, we were able to thin their numbers to around six or seven but that's still too many, we'll be overrun if we don't find a way to either get away from them or to finish them off quickly. The man knew this too and tried to hold his sword with one hand to charge a spell with his left but the risen he was battling almost overpowered him so he was forced back into a two-handed grip.

Suddenly, the risen at the back of the group dissipated into smoke while a gray-haired man ran to strike the other risen from behind. With renewed power, I was able to push the risen I was facing back and throw its blade to the side, creating an opening for me to strike its chest. My blade cleaved through it and it turned into smoke as did the one the white-haired man was facing, apparently hit by an arrow that fell to the ground when the body was gone

 _Wait… That's not just an arrow, it's a crossbow bolt. That means…_

I looked at one side of the clearing and saw a blonde-haired man holding a crossbow as he walked towards us

 _Uncle Albireo_

"You guys okay?" The gray-haired man asked

"Yeah. We're good. Grayson, Albireo, this is…" the white-haired man tried to introduce me but couldn't, not knowing my name

"Marth" I said

"Well, Marth, I'm Robin and these are Grayson and Albireo" he said

 _Yes, I know Albireo, but who are you two?_

"Anyway, Robin" the gray-haired man- apparently Grayson spoke "Chrom's group is over there, still fighting the… Things. I only brought Albireo here because we got new reinforcements. They'll still need us though so come on"

"Right" Robin answered, heading off before he stopped "Marth, wanna come?"

 _Well… As much as I want to avoid interfering in my father's battles, I very well can't refuse after they saved my life. Not only that, but I should take a better look at Robin and Grayson. Just how do they know my father?_

"Um, Marth?" Robin called my name, snapping me out of my thoughts

"I'm coming"

* * *

"Chrom! We're back!"

"Grayson! Did you find him?"

"Yeah, so where do we go, Robin?"

Instead of Robin replying, however, a female voice answered instead "Albireo, Robin, provide cover fire from there. Grayson, link up with Sully and Virion over there"

"Got it" Grayson replied as he dashed off towards the fort where, presumably, Aunt Sully and Lord Virion were

 _That voice, it's Aunt Reflet's. But why did Grayson call her Robin?_

"Robin!" Robin (the male one. I'm starting to get a headache)

"Yeah?" REFLET answered

"I brought Marth along, where does he go?"

"Marth? You mean that swordsman beside you? Well, I guess he can stick with your group, provide close-range protection. You good with that Marth?" she asked, I nodded to Robin who then called out "Yeah, he's good" and he and Albireo began firing arrows and spells at the risen. Some were put down, others pressed on and a few redirected their attention to our group and started moving towards us

"Alright then, Marth, you ready?" Robin asked as he fired another lightning spell. I said nothing and nodded "Good, 'cause here they come"

A risen swordfighter arrived first. It slashed downward and I blocked. Our blades locked until another risen- this time a lancer- came. I kicked the first risen away so I can engage the second. It thrust its lance, aimed at my chest and I sidestepped and, seeing the opening, slashed at its head, cleaving it in two before it disappeared into smoke just in time for the other risen to attack. This time, I barely blocked and struggled under its blade when suddenly, a bolt of lightning pierced its chest from behind. It vanished into smoke and I saw that that wasn't a lightning bolt but instead, an electrified sword. Robin stood behind where the risen was holding the sword

"Hey, you okay?" he asked

"Yes" I replied "Thank you"

"Sure. Anyway, that's the last of this group, we're going after the rest now"

"But we were told to provide cover fire from here" I replied, slightly surprised at his near-insubordination

"Look, they're locked in combat. We can't risk friendly fire so the best we can do is attack them from behind"

"But we have cavalry. They can handle this well enough"

"True. Frederick and that woman are mounted, giving them the advantage. But the others aren't. If we free up the others, this'll be over much quicker. And if these things are all over the place, then time is of the essence"

 _Impressive. It seems like he has so much more in common with Reflet_

"Very well then"

"Great. Albireo, you go for Chrom's group" Albireo nodded before heading off "Marth, follow me to Grayson's. They'll need the numbers" he said before jogging off with me not far behind

* * *

"So" my father spoke "Marth, was it?"

I silently nodded

"Like the hero-king? Well you certainly fought like a hero. Where did you learn your way with a sword?"

"Forgive me, but I'm not here to talk about myself. This world teeters at the brink of calamity. Tonight is but a prelude. You have been warned" I said before I walked away. Aunt Lissa let out a shocked reply but I paid it no mind.

* * *

I was able to get some distance from them when suddenly, someone spoke

"Enjoy your little family reunion?" I turned around, ready to draw my sword when I saw Grayson. Not quite relaxing, I asked "What?"

"I mean, how'd it feel to see your dad again?"

 _Damn… How did he know_

"How-"

"-Do I know? Sure, let's discuss that. Come on out guys" he called out and Albireo, Robin and Reflet emerged from behind the trees

"Did we really have to do that?" Robin asked

"Of course" Albireo replied "I mean, if we're gonna do this, we gotta look mysterious doing it"

"But-"

"Oh, stop it" Reflet said

"So," Grayson continued "Here's how it goes: Albireo and I know about the events your future. However, we didn't come from there, but another world entirely. As for these two," he gestured to Robin and Reflet "Well, you know something about them- or to be more precise, ONE of them"

 _Just how much does this man know? Wait, he and Albireo are from another world?_

"Look, if there's something you need to tell us, speak up. We need to know how to approach everything that's gonna happen"

I hesitated for a bit before speaking "Very well… First, while I believe that you are from another world, I don't believe that Albireo did. I grew up knowing him as a friend of my father's"

"What-" before Albireo could finish, Grayson cut him off "Easy, let's listen to her first, okay? Carry on, Lucina"

Given that what he said was probably true, I wasn't too surprised that he knew who I was "Alright. Anyway, his son was one of my friends who traveled with us from the future. As for you, however, I'm sorry but you weren't in my timeline which is why I believe that you came from another world. Now, regarding them," I pointed towards Robin and Reflet "I only know the woman but not as Robin, I knew her as Grandmistress Reflet. She was my Father's Chief advisor and closest friend. As for Robin, again, I'm sorry but he wasn't in my timeline either"

"You think he came from another world too?"

"I agree that it is likely"

"So, Robin- or should I say, Reflet. I hope that wasn't too much of a shock to you"

"Well… I honestly am surprised but it's okay"

"But what about me?" Robin asked, looking troubled

"I'm really sorry" I replied "I really don't know you from my future"

"Oh…"

"Cheer up, Robin. We'll figure out who you are eventually. Trust me" Grayson reassured him

"Yeah, but what about me? You said I was in your timeline" Albireo asked

I was about to answer when Grayson interrupted "Look, she traveled in time, right? Which means she arrived in the point in time that you arrived here originally. Meaning this is the second time you woke up here while for me, it's just the first. Does that make any sense?" Albireo pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement

"Good. Now that's that all straightened out. Let's decide on a plan of action. Now, Lucina, Reflet and Albireo were shepherds, right?"

"Yes. They were very close friends of our family"

"So that means you guys" he pointed to Albireo and Reflet "-are coming with Chrom. That's imperative. Now as for me and Robin, we weren't in your future, correct?"

"Yes" I replied

"That means our actions will have a great effect on the timeline, correct?"

"Yes"

"So that means we have to be careful about it so we don't screw it up which gives us only one option: we'll stick with you and your mission"

I was about to protest when he continued "Look, you're intent on changing the future. As for us, basically everything we do is gonna change the future. If we stay with the Shepherds, we might alter the timeline too heavily or perhaps even make things worse. If we stay with you, we can act more carefully and only alter what we have to without making too many changes to everything since we'll be disconnected from almost everyone. Think about it"

I thought about his offer a bit more when he suddenly spoke up

"Look, either you let us join you or I swear I will tell Chrom everything about the future"

 _What the hell!? I wasn't gonna decline anyway!_

"Fine. I was gonna say yes, anyway. You and Robin can come along"

"Great" he replied, grinning "Hey, Reflet, Albireo, tell Chrom we joined up with 'Marth' over here. If he asks why, say you don't know"

"Sure, but is Robin okay with that?" Albireo asked

"Yeah, I'm fine" Robin answered

"See, he's fine. Oh, by the way" Grayson said, opening his bag and pulling out a book "Communicator Tome. Use it to talk to me or Stryker"

"Oh. Hey, thanks, man"

"Sure, anytime"

 _Stryker? How many new people are there?_

Grayson probably saw my puzzled look (I was in a mask, dammit! How did he see through that!?) because he said "Look, don't ask, I'll explain everything I know"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 3**

* * *

 **A/N** Well, first major plot reveal! Yes, Albireo was in the original timeline. Who'd he marry? It's a secret for now. As for the two Robin situation, I hope that my take on it was at least acceptable to you guys. What do you think? (Yes, I know I handled the name confusion in probably the most overused way available but hey, it's just a name. Nothing plot-related or whatever)

As for Robin's personal weapon, if you didn't get it, it's basically a magic sword. Think Levin sword but straight and not limited to lightning magic. Is it OP? Nope. It can't do anything beyond Thoron/Rexcalibur/Bolganone/Nosferatu (the only dark magic he has are Flux and Nosferatu) . While that still sounds OP for one weapon, think: all he'll have to do is pack three tomes. Besides, he can't use all those spells yet, he doesn't know how yet.

Now, as for Grayson and Robin joining Lucina, this was part of my plan the whole time. I just hope I can do this well.

So, that concludes the three-part intro. Next chapter will feature interactions and the start of my shipbuilding. Oh, and I'll introduce another character next chapter too. Anyway, that's all. Please leave a review, bye!

-NS01 out-


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: "Never skip leg day. Unless Frederick's in charge. Then for the love of god, ALWAYS skip leg day."**

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

When I told my group about Grayson and Robin joining up with Marth, they each took it differently. At one end of the reaction scale was Frederick, who looked rather pleased that the two strangers went away from his lord

 _Wow, Frederick... You cold._

In the middle of the scale was Chrom. He took it just about as expected, with questions but with approval.

Now on the other end of the scale, Lissa asked "Why did they have to leave? Did they not like me? Was I too annoying? What about you guys? Do you hate me? Are you gonna leave us too?"

"Easy there, Lissa" I chuckled "They didn't hate you. They just figured they had to do something about what Marth told us"

"About some calamity and how this is just the prelude?" Chrom inquired

"Well, yeah. I guess they're taking that pretty seriously" I said, having finally come up with an acceptable alibi instead of feigning ignorance "Don't worry, Lissa, I'm sure they'll come back" I reassured

"Promise" she sniffed

"Promise"

* * *

When we reached Ylisstol, the sun was already pretty high up.

"Good morning, milord" two city guards greeted as we arrived at the city gates

"Morning. Albireo, Reflet, welcome to Ylisstol" Chrom said

"So, milord, these two new Shepherds?" one of the guards said

"Yes. Just met them yesterday, in fact"

"Ha! Find two strangers somewhere, they get into the Shepherds right away. Meanwhile, we've been here years and you never even offered once!" the other one said

"Well, first, you two have been here for barely a month and second, I did make an offer at your graduation, _like I do every year_. It's just that hardly anyone took it, _like they do every year_ " Chrom countered

"Come on, milord" the guard said "I was just joking. Just trying to mess with the newbies a bit. Plus, I wanted to make it look more like your recruitment procedure is more than just inviting everyone you meet"

"Yeah, well you might end up making them feel a little bad for taking the invite"

"Oh, all right milord. Hey there, Albireo and Reflet, was it? Good on you for joining the Shepherds, not a lot of people make that decision, us included"

"Oh? Why's that? Reflet inquired

"Hm... You'll find out on your first day on the job" the guard replied, smirking at Frederick who replied with a smile of his own

 _So_ , _Frederick has a rep in the regular army too? I'm starting to actually get scared of the guy_

Meanwhile, Reflet shot a confused glance at me, seemingly asking

 _What does he mean by that?_

While I would love to give her a warning about Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour, I had to pretend I didn't know anything so I simply shrugged and glanced at Frederick in reply

 _No idea but it probably means he'll make us regret joining_

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

So, as we made our way to Ylisstol to watch over Chrom's group (from a distance, of course, although I fail to see why we didn't just join them instead) Grayson and Marth- who was actually a woman named Lucina- filled me in on everything.

So apparently, Lucina was Chrom's daughter from the future who traveled through time to prevent the resurrection of a being known as the Fell Dragon Grima. As for Grayson, he came from a different universe altogether, sent here through unknown means and for an unknown purpose. Now, since Lucina's mission is to change the events of this timeline, Grayson, knowing our profound effects on it, offered to assist Lucina in her mission.

However, some questions still remain. First was Grayson's erstwhile companion, Albireo. He claimed to be from the same world as Grayson but Lucina said that he was in her original timeline as well, unlike Grayson. While Grayson gave a satisfactory answer- that Albireo was 'inserted' in Lucina's original timeline and when Lucina travelled back in time, she arrived at the point where he was originally injected- why is it that his case and Grayson's differ? Was there something that controls these instances of 'universe-jumping' as Grayson called them or was it all simply random?

Next was the question of my identity. Apparently, I didn't come from this world either although when I asked Grayson about it, he was fairly sure that I was only very slightly out of place. What he meant by that is unknown to me.

And finally, when will I ever sleep on a proper bed again? In fact, scratch "again", I have no recollection of ever sleeping on a bed

 _Nor do I recall ever eating three meals a day. Or having a home. Or buying groceries. Damn it, this amnesia's making me feel like a hobo_

As if brought on by the thought, I felt an imaginary sensation of pain, like someone slapping the back of my head

 _Nice... Apparently, my subconscious doesn't like me_

My subconscious slapped me again

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

After introducing them to Emmeryn, I sent Albireo and Reflet with Lissa to the Shepherds' garrison for them to meet the others. I was still a ways from the garrison when I saw that everyone was outside. I got there and found Albireo and Virion getting a scolding from Reflet and Maribelle while the latter and Lissa were healing Vaike's foot. Meanwhile, Sully, Stahl and a giant suit of armor- oh wait, that was Kellam- were barely holding in their laughter (actually, they're not even trying)

"Okay then... I don't wanna ask"

"Oh, gods" Stahl said, trying to hold his laughter either at Albireo's or Vaike's misfortune (although likely both) "Trust me, Chrom, you do"

"Fine" I sighed "Tell me"

"Okay, okay" he wiped a tear from his eye "So, these guys came over, right? New Shepherds being introduced. So, Lissa introduced them, Vaike saw Alby and Virion's weapons and asked them who's the better shooter, Alby-" I cut him off "Alby?"

"Albireo" he continued "Anyway, stepped down immediately so Vaike called him a wimp. Now Alby didn't get mad, or nothing, he just suggested we play a game. Then- oh gods, I can't do this" he broke down laughing "You tell him, Sully"

"Alright" she said, grinning "Anyway, he said we'll play a game called Arrow Roulette. Someone shoots an arrow up and the last idiot one who runs from their position wins. Now I have no idea where he got that or why the hell we thought it was a great idea but me, Stahl, Alby and Vaike ended up playing it. Ruffles over there didn't but he did volunteer to be the one who shoots, probably so he can get a kick out of us running around like a buncha idiots. Anyway, practically the moment the arrow was up, Stahl, Alby and I got our asses outta there, pronto. When we got to cover, we looked back and saw Vaike still there and, you know what the idiot was doing? He was fucking laying on the fucking ground! Then, right as he was saying something about us being weak-ass bitches, the arrow nails him right in the foot!" she finished, howling with laughter

"Oh. Wow."

"I know, right?" Stahl spoke up " I mean, we thought he was either really brave or really stupid but since THAT happened" he pointed at Vaike and his foot "we decided that he was really, REALLY stupid"

"Indeed, milord, as was the whole affair" Maribelle strode up to us "I have reprimanded the manchild responsible for this incident and his accomplice but, since they are still new recruits and likely won't heed my lecturing, I would recommend you give them a stern warning yourself" she said, more like an order rather than a recommendation. Damn, this woman's scary

"Fine, I'll talk to them" I walked towards the two "Alright you two, you heard Maribelle. Now I don't want to hear about you playing any more crazy games while I'm away. EVER. Especially you, Albireo" he nodded sheepishly while Virion remained silent

"You should know how much I HATE being stuck in meetings while you guys have your fun. Get someone to fetch me next time, all right?" I said, smiling as I heard Maribelle facepalm. Virion simply chuckled at this and Albireo... His face broke into a maniacal grin. I shivered internally at what this could mean for everyone in the Shepherds

"Okay then, now go to your room and think about what you've done. Sumia!" I called. A few seconds later, the girl emerged from the doorway...

And fell flat on her face right as she opened the doors. Once again, I heard Maribelle facepalm.

"S-Sorry captain. I promise it won't happen again" she apologized

"It's fine, Sumia. Anyway, can you show Albireo, Reflet and Virion to their rooms?"

"Of course Captain" she said and the three newcomers stepped up to introduce themselves before they followed her into the building.

The instant the door closed, we heard a yelp and a thud, followed by a smack as Maribelle facepalmed for the third time in five minutes

* * *

I walked up to Albireo's room and knocked.

"Albireo, it's Chrom" I said. I heard the sound of a book closing and a drawer being hurriedly opened and closed before he replied "Chrom? Come in, come in" I opened the door and entered

"So, what do you need" he asked

"Nothing, just wanted to check up on you"

"I'm fine. If there's anyone you should be checking up on, it's Vaike"

"Yeah, I did. So, about that game by the way, where'd you get that idea"

"Oh, Arrow Roulette? Just a story involving a group of friends. Nothing much"

"A story huh? Mind telling it?"

"Yeah, well the thing is that's the only thing I found interesting enough to pay attention to"

"Huh, figures" I chuckled "Anyway, it seems like you're fitting in pretty well. But what about Reflet?"

Don't worry about her, she's just confused. I can tell she's the type who makes friends pretty easily"

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

So... Right as I unpacked (which took literally no time since I didn't have anything) Lissa burst into my room

"You! Tea party! My room! Now!"

"But I-"

"NOW!" she dragged me out of my room, down the hall and into hers where I saw Maribelle, Sumia and surprisingly, Sully and Miriel (no offense to them but I don't think they fit in here)

"Before you ask, greenie" Sully said "I'm here for a reason"

"As am I" Miriel stated before taking a sip from her tea

"Okay then... That reason would be...?"

"We want to welcome you, duh" Lissa said

"Okay then, I have been welcomed. Now what? We just sit here drinking tea and talking about boys?"

"Hell n-" Sully started before she was cut off by Maribelle

"Sully. Language"

"Agh. Fine. Sumia, you tell him"

"Me? Uh, okay, so we're gonna-" before she could finish, Maribelle brought out a black briefcase

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me" I groaned

"What's the matter? Can't believe we play poker?" Sully asked

"You, I believe. Lissa, Sumia and Miriel, I don't know but MARIBELLE!? YOU WERE THE CHOSEN ONE! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BERATE THE GAMBLERS NOT JOIN THEM!"

"Oh, hush, you. It is only fitting for a lady of my station to play such cultured games unlike what YOU played a while ago, Sully"

"Just shut up and deal"

* * *

So, apparently, Miriel WAS here for a reason: To bring home all of our money (except for Lissa's since Maribelle insisted she's too young to actually gamble and mine since I didn't have any *sob*)

"Wow Miriel, if I had money I would hate you"

"As I'm sure our friends do" she said with a small grin

"Dammit, Miriel when did you get so smug?" Sully asked, glaring

"Approximately thirty seconds ago when I took the last of your chips" she replied

"Oh shit" I remarked, earning a glare from Maribelle "Oh, um... Sorry 'bout that"

"Fine. Oh, but Sully, should I fetch my staff?"

"Huh, why? Oh wait-"

"Why, for that awful burn, of course" Maribelle said, giggling as Sully banged her head on the table before retorting "Why're you laughing, huh? You lost too!"

"Well, at least I was able to win back some of my cash" she countered.

Well, it was true. Maribelle only lost a quarter of her bet while Sumia lost only half unlike Sully who lost it all

"I am never gambling with you guys again"

"Well, be sure to remember that next time we call for a Girls' Game Night" Lissa said before turning her attention to me "So, Reflet, did you have fun?"

"Heh. I admit, I enjoyed it although I probably won't next time when I have money. Although I'm pretty sure Miriel would"

"Well, games of chance-" Miriel began before being cut off by Lissa

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, you win because science"

"Actually, it's math-"

"Fine, you win because math. Way to kill the mood"

"Well then, I suppose I am no longer required here" Miriel stood up "I've still to translate a text in the library. Good day to you all" and she left

"Yeah, I've got to go to the stables now. Catch ya later" Sully said before leaving the three of us

"So, Sumia, aren't you on kitchen duty tonight" Lissa asked

"Oh my gosh, I forgot. Bye!" and she stood up...

Aaand she fell down. To my left, Maribelle facepalmed (she does that a lot doesn't she?)

"You okay there, Sumia?" I asked

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine"

"Yeah, I guess I better go with you"

"No, it's okay. I don't want to trouble you"

"Look, I'm coming with you. That's final"

"Oh, alright. Thanks"

"Don't mention it. Anyway, bye girls"

"Bye! I'll just help Maribelle clean up the room for a while"

"Lissa, darling, this is YOUR room" I heard Maribelle say as we left

"Which is precisely why I'm helping you clean it"

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

It's been three days since we arrived at the garrison and, according to Frederick, our first day on the job.

Well, actually, he didn't tell us it was our first day. Call it a hunch.

A hunch brought about by him waking us up at four in the morning, making us jog twenty laps around the garrison then follow him around for a scouting mission. On foot. BEFORE BREAKFAST.

"Now I know" Reflet panted beside me as we arrived at the garrison "What that guard meant"

"I can't *pant* remember. Brain cells *huff* not functioning. All energy directed to *pant* legs. Error *wheeze* legs failing *huff* Albireo going down" I said before dropping to the floor

"Come on, Albireo, get up! How are you supposed to get through Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour if you can't handle the warm-up?" Frederick said, smiling

 _What? Just... What?_

"Reflet" I called out weakly " I can't do this. I'm not built for this."

"Yeah, me neither."

"So... We ditch him?"

"Sounds good but how?"

It was at that moment that Chrom arrived, finding us lying on the steps

"Frederick?" we nodded

"What'd he say?"

"Something about Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour" hearing this, he shuddered

"Well, thanks for the warning. Anyway, I have this little meeting at Themis and I'll be needing two aides. Frederick will be in charge of the garrison for today. Now, let me just inform Maribelle that she got a letter from her father telling me about this meeting" he said before entering the garrison

* * *

"Milord, while I cannot condone this sort of behaviour- especially from new recruits- I must say that Sir Frederick's training regime is dreadful enough for me to not mind" Maribelle said while opening a locked drawer "Therefore, I will agree on the condition that my dear Lissa and I join you and be spared from such hell as Frederick's Fanatical Fitness Hour" she finished, producing an envelope with an affixed seal

"Is that-" I started before I was cut off

"A forged letter from my father bearing his seal? Why, yes it is. You see, this is not the first time milord is avoiding Sir Frederick's training sessions"

"Yeah" Chrom continued "Trouble is, since Frederick stopped following a schedule, it's been getting harder and harder to skip his training sessions. Some of us wake up at dawn just to get as far away from the man as possible so you see, actual forewarning is a big deal here"

"Which is why I'm letting you two accompany us as thanks. Now hold on, let me just fetch Lissa" she said before heading off

"Wow" I said "I still hate her for yelling at me but she's awesome"

"I'll say" Reflet agreed

"Let me guess, Girls' Game Night?" Chrom asked. Reflet nodded

"What!? Game night!? Tell me!" I pleaded, Reflet just stuck her tongue out

"Hmph. Fine. Mark my words, Reflet, I WILL-"

"They're here" Chrom cut me off

"Hi guys!" Lissa greeted

"Alright, we all good? Come on then" and we started off. When we came across Frederick, Chrom and Maribelle explained the "situation". While he looked skeptical at Chrom bringing us along, Chrom argued that going out will be good for us so he begrudgingly agreed.

* * *

"Whew! I've said it before but Albireo and Reflet, thanks for the heads up!" Chrom chuckled

"No problem. Thanks for getting us out of there too"

"Hey, look, Frederick's warm-ups are ten times more grueling than the army's training so I figured you guys deserved it"

"Aw, thanks" Reflet said "We really appreciate it. You're the best boss ever"

"Oh come on, guys I don't-"

"BEST BOSS EVER" Reflet and I chanted

"BEST BOSS EVER. BEST BOSS EVER. BEST BOSS EVER"

"Alright, now hold on-"

"BEST BOSS EVER-"

"I SAID HOLD IT OR I SWEAR I WILL SEND YOU BACK TO FREDERICK"

"..."

"..."

"Best boss ever" I whispered

"Look over there" he pointed at a figure off in the distance

"Should we take a look?" I asked

"Come on" he replied before spurring his horse as we followed suit, Reflet and Maribelle readying their tomes while I readied my crossbow until I saw who it was

"Whoa, hey Alby" the dark-skinned man said

"Marcus..."

* * *

 **End Of Chapter 4**

* * *

 **A/N** Well, sorry/not sorry for this chapter. It didn't contain interactions so much as shenanigans. What I AM sorry for is the lack of my promised shipbuilding.

So, new Wanderer (Yep, that's what I decided to call them) introduced: Marcus Thomas

Anyway, I decided to take liberties in writing the characters ESPECIALLY the girls. Don't worry, they're only like that on Girls' Game Night. GGN has the power to make everyone act OOC

So, like what I did with Maribelle? I'm sure I did. I only thought it up while typing.

As for Miriel, well, I can't write her for shit. Then again, she recieved so little screentime this chapter and this was only during GGN.

As for Sully, did I write her too weakly?

Now, regarding Maribelle having tomes, yes, she now has magic training. Deal with it.

-NS01 out-

 ***Edit 20/5/16: Replaced the chapter number with the correct number and caught some typos**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: "How do we welcome the new guy? By beating the crap out of him of course!"**

* * *

 _ **Frederick**_

* * *

It's been two hours since Lord Chrom, accompanied by Lady Lissa, Maribelle and the two recruits Albireo and Reflet departed for my lord's "meeting". How they thought they could possibly fool me is beyond my understanding but, I decided to humour them. At the very least, they would go scouting or do something productive. In fact, the same goes for the other Shepherds who would skip my morning training sessions. Sumia would go to the stables and groom every single horse and pegasus, Miriel and Ricken would translate or transcribe texts and tomes in the library- which is basically what they do all day but it at least gives them a plausible excuse- and now, one of the newcomers, Virion, apparently woke up even before I did, returning only a few minutes after we finished our training session as he carried along a dead deer -although we never lacked food this close to the capital. In the end, only Sully, Vaike and Stahl joined my training session, the latter having been forced into it by Sully.

 _Well, as long as they're doing some form of productive work, I'll let them get away with it_

As I patrolled the camp, inspecting it, I heard the sound of horses approaching. I turned and saw Lord Chrom's group arriving

"My lord! Back from Themis already? Isn't it a full day's ride away?" I asked

"Yeah, well this is urgent, we found another stranger in the field"

"Another one?" I raised an eyebrow

"Yes" he said, signaling Albireo to come closer. As he did, I saw a dark-skinned man riding behind him. The man got off, as did everyone else. Lord Chrom approached me and said "This is Marcus" the man took a shallow bow "And apparently, he and Albireo are acquainted"

"Really, now? How so? Didn't Albireo say that he was a wanderer? Now if he was acquainted with this Marcus character, then why aren't they 'travel buddies' so to speak?"

"That's why I told them it was urgent" Albireo spoke up "I'll tell you but we have to go somewhere more private. Oh, but sorry, Maribelle, I don't think you should find out" disappointment crept up Maribelle's face but she simply nodded and left

"Well, come on then. I'm interested to hear just what explanation you have to give us" I started to lead them before Albireo spoke again

"Wait, I have to go do something first" and he headed into the garrison, presumably to his room. I started to follow but lord Chrom stopped me "It's fine, Frederick. I trust the man"

"But milord, I-"

"Come on, let's just wait for him at the war room"

* * *

We've been waiting for fifteen minutes when Albireo came into the room and took a position at the table

"All right then" he started "Is it just the six of us in here?" he asked. We nodded in confirmation

"Good. Now, I just recieved clearance from Grayson to share with you this information"

"Wait, Grayson? You spoke to Grayson? Isn't he away with Marth and Robin?"

"Yes. Now, that will be the first topic to discuss. Grayson and I are in possession of Communicator Tomes. These things allow us to communicate by showing the other what we write in them. Now, Stryker says that Marcus here is also in possession of one" he finished, looking at Marcus who rummaged through his pack before bringing out a book

"Here" he declared, showing us the book

"Now, Marcus, was there a message on the first page?" Albireo asked

Marcus opened the book and placed it down on the table for us to read

 **Marcus Thomas**

 **Greetings and welcome to Ylisse.**

 **This message shall serve as proof of your status as a Wanderer- a person who has traveled across universes. As such, you must show it to another Wanderer or to Chrom's core group as long as one other Wanderer is present.**

 **To avoid major infoleaks, this is all the information you may be given in this message. You may make further inquiries on the condition that you will NOT show the pages containing them to non-Wanderers.**

 **That will be all. Good luck**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 **P.s. To Chrom: Frederick knows your "meetings" are fake**

The room remained silent for a few moments as everyone re-read it. Finally, Albireo spoke up "Okay then. Next we shall discuss Stryker Gryphus: we have no clue who or what he is. Next topic?" lady Lissa giggled a bit

"You knew all along?" lord Chrom asked me with an almost betrayed look on his face

"Okay. Now regarding US. Like the message said, we really are from another world. I'm sorry we don't have any more proof other than this message but I swear it's the truth. I would understand it if you don't believe us- we didn't either- but please, at least trust us. We sincerely mean no harm to Ylisse, its people or its royal family" he pleaded. A few seconds passed before lord Chrom said:

"All right. Albireo, Reflet, I've said it before and I'll say it again: you fought bravely with us and my heart says that's enough. As for you, Marcus, a friend of Albireo's will be a friend of mine" he said, offering a hand to Marcus who shook it.

"Now, Frederick, I apologize but I've decided to let Marcus stay with us" he stated, almost ready for me to argue back

 _Well, I guess that's it then. No point in arguing, I guess_

"Alright milord. But I must warn you, I will keep a close eye on them. I refuse to let them off that easily as long as they pose a threat to you, your family, or the realm"

"Thank you, my friend. That is precisely what I expect out of you" he replied

"So, Marcus" he adressed the dark-skinned man "I do hope you're armed and ready. We very well can't let you stay with the Shepherds and just lounge around all day. I've seen Albireo and Reflet in combat already, now what about you?" he asked

"Well, _boss_ " Marcus started "I do have these" he tapped on two handles at his sides that belonged to two hook-shaped axes

"Well, can you use them?"

"Okay, I admit, not too well. But then again, I know for a fact that Alby over there doesn't know shit about using a crossbow so hey, it's still up in the air" he replied

"Well then, I take that as a request to spar"

"Milord, I forbid it!" I cut in "He may still pose a threat and try to kill you whilst you spar"

"Frederick, like I said, I trust him. And since he said he can't use weapons well yet, I could say I'm pretty safe. You HAVE been training with me since we were young"

"But-"

"Look, he was right about Albireo being not too god with a crossbow"

"Hey!" Albireo protested, clearly insulted

"What? It's true. Anyway, he was right about that so I'll take his word for it"

"Alright, fine. But if he harms you, then I WILL cut him down"

* * *

 _ **Marcus**_

* * *

 _Yep, I am in deep shit._

I was about to face Chrom in a sparring match and, after assessing the situation, I identified three things I got going against me:

A) Weapon disadvantage: Weapon Triangle aside, I still don't think modified hand axes are gonna be effective against a divine sword

B) I STILL don't have proper combat training while Chrom probably grew up with a sword in his hand

And C) I heard the guy has enough strength to bash walls in and I'm pretty sure my face is a _lot_ less solid than walls

 _Well, let's focus on not getting beat up for now_

I studied his stance. Two-handed grip, just like in the cutscenes.

 _Now_

He stepped forward and leapt in the air, performing that rolling strike from the cutscenes. I crossed my axes and caught the blow but the force was almost enough to numb my arms. Giving me no time to recover, he followed up with a string of attacks. It was relatively easy to parry them all since I had two weapons but the sheer force of the strikes was wearing me down.

 _Wow, Marcus, not even trying to not get beat up_

As if brought on by the thought, I parried his next strike with renewed force, almost throwing his blade to the side. I followed up with a horizontal slash that would've almost decapitated Chrom if he hadn't ducked under it. Seeing him ducked down, I lift my knee, connecting with his face and sending him sprawled on the floor. I leapt at him, holding my blade overhead but, at the very last second, he lift his leg, hitting me in the gut, leaving us both sprawled on the floor

"So..." I groaned "Draw?"

"Huh? Yeah... Fine" Chrom replied, clutching his forehead

"So welcome to the Shepherds" Chrom shook my hand, wearing an eyepatch/ice pack (of Frederick's design apparently since it looked WAY too well-designed for it to be a for-emergencies-only thing)

"Thanks. Say, why do you still need that thing on your face"

"Well, healing magic can do wonders but it can only do so much to remove visible markings"

"Sooo... You wear it to look cool?"

"Well, that IS what Frederick designed it for"

"Indeed" the aforementioned knight spoke "It was designed so that my lord would look as dashing as ever even when he suffers from a black eye from his training"

"Why of course, Knight-Butler-Commander" I took a bow. Frederick simply smiled at me. Albireo called my attention and I shot him a look asking

 _What? What's wrong?_

He simply shook his head disapprovingly and cut a line across his throat with his thumb as if to say

 _You shouldn't have done that. Now you're dead_

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

This is the fifth time I woke up in the middle of the night on our overwatch of Ylisstol. Every time, I just stay there, discussing stuff with either Albireo or Stryker. I opened my book to the last entry. It was dated this morning

 **Albireo: Um, hey, Grayson**

 **Grayson: Yeah?**

 **Albireo: So, Chrom brought us along to try to get away from Frederick's training. About two hours later, we ran across one of my friends from back in our world. Now, we're back in the garrison, I'm trying to introduce him but Frederick got us cornered about our backstories. Anyway, what I mean is I probably won't be able to get them to trust us again unless I tell them about us being from another universe. That's what I called you about.**

 **Grayson: So, you're asking me whether to tell them or not? Look I understand what you mean, if we try to make up another cover story, we'll lose whatever credibility we have. The thing is, I'm not the one you should be asking**

 **Stryker: Yep, that would be me. Don't worry about telling them about being Wanderers. What you SHOULDN'T tell them is how Fire Emblem is a game in your world. Basically, just say you're from another world, nothing else.**

 **Albireo: You sure? This won't screw the timeline up?**

 **Stryker: Look, Alby, you were in the original timeline, remember? That means whatever you do, it already happened in Lucina's future meaning you can't do shit to the timeline**

 **Albireo: Yeah, but what about Marcus?**

 **Grayson: Hold on, I'll check**

 **Lucina: Um, hello? Does this work?**

 **Albireo: WHAT THE FUCK GRAYSON WHY'D YOU LET LUCINA USE YOUR TOME?**

 **Stryker: LUCINA, DO NOT READ ANYTHING. GIVE IT STRAIGHT TO GRAYSON**

 **Albireo: HOW DOES THIS TOME RECOGNIZE WHO'S WRITING IN IT?**

 **Stryker: Maaaaaaaagic**

 **Albireo: Figures**

 **Lucina: Alright, don't worry, Grayson's telling me and Robin what not to read, under threat of the timeline distorting.**

 **Albireo: Well, that sounds about right**

 **Lucina: Well, I'm not taking any chances so even if he was lying, I'd probably listen anyway. So, anyway, Grayson told me to tell you this personally: Sir Marcus was also in my timeline so don't worry about him**

 **Albireo: Wow, convenient. Anyway, did he have kids? I mean, if he did then they'd probably have come back in time with you**

 **Lucina: Well, he remained unmarried in the future. He said something about "him rather being everyone's awesome uncle instead of spending all his time on just one kid"**

 **Albireo: Well, that sounds like him, all right. Anyway, nice chat, everyone. Now, I gotta go meet up with the others, explain this Wanderer business**

 **Grayson: Yeah, okay. Bye now**

 **Stryker: Oh, by the way, Marcus has a communicator tome too with a message on the first page. Tell him to show it to you guys, that should activate it.**

 **Albireo: But how?**

 **Stryker: MAAAAGIC**

 **Albireo: Ugh, fine.**

I smiled recalling how everyone reacted to me lending Lucina the Communicator Tome. I guess even Stryker can be caught off-guard if I really try. Why do I have the feeling I need to be able to do this more in the future...

I just noticed that Robin and Lucina were apparently not in our campsite. (*urge to ship intensifies*)

 _Alright, Grayson, just because they're both not in camp doesn't mean they're together out there. You'll just have to find them to find out_

* * *

After barely five minutes of looking, I found them together (*squeals internally*) sitting on a log at the cliff overlooking Ylisstol.

"Hey there" I said "...lovebirds" I added internally

"Oh hey" Robin replied

"...Hey" Lucina said, something obviously on her mind

 _Of course... She's watching over her family and she can't even tell them who they are to her, much less who she is..._

"Look" I started "This is about Chrom, right?" she didn't answer. Instead, it was Robin who spoke up "Yeah. I just got up a few minutes ago and saw her come out here, figured something was bugging her. Asked her what the problem was and she told me how much she missed her parents. I figured she could use some company, make her a little less lonely"

I nodded, smiling.

 _Heh, that's exactly what you'd do whoever it was. This isn't enough to ship these two_

I looked at the two as they looked out over Ylisstol

 _But it's a start_

"Look, Luce, if your dad knew who you are and what you were doing, I'm sure he'd be running around the castle saying how proud he is to have such a strong daughter" she looked at me, probably not getting the joke (or what little of it was there)

"Okay, so maybe he wouldn't exactly be running around but it's true, he'd be real proud of you" I tried to put on a reassuring smile

"You know what else?" Robin continued for me "He'll be telling you to take it easy. You've been through so much, if anyone deserves to take a break, it's you" Robin finished with a (much more reassuring) smile of his own.

"I..." Lucina started "Thank you. Honestly, I don't know what I'd be doing if I was alone. Really, thank you" she gave us a soft smile that put both Robin's and mine to shame

"See? You should smile a bit more" Robin said

"Yeah, but don't try too hard" I added, remembering her and Inigo's supports

Robin shot me a glare before speaking "Anyway, I think we've been here long enough. Let's go back to camp" he said, standing up and starting off

"All right" she followed

I hung back a little bit, watching the two of them

"C support rank achieved" I whispered under my breath before I followed them back to camp

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

It's been a week since we picked up Marcus and in that week, our accident and alcohol consumption rates have spiked (those two may or may not be related) but hey, morale is way up. Even Frederick joins in on the drinking sessions from time to time and with him on our side, Maribelle can't do squat about us.

Now today was the aftermath of a rather... I don't know any proper adjectives for this- drinking session. At least, for three of us. Vaike, Marcus and Sully were in different locations around the garrison, all in various states of hangover. Sully was clutching her head on the porch, muttering something that sounded like "Please kill me. Please kill me. Please kill me", Marcus was on the fence, half-conscious and Vaike was on A MOTHERFUCKING TREE THAT HE HAD SOMEHOW CLIMBED WHILE DRUNK BEFORE PROCEEDING TO CHUG THE CASK HE HAD SOMEHOW BROUGHT UP WHILE CLIMBING WHILE DRUNK. Honestly, everyone but Maribelle was impressed (even Frederick who then used Vaike as a clear example of just what his hellacious training regime can do for you)

It was as we were trying to fetch Vaike-with me perched on Frederick's shoulders and everyone else ready to catch us if anyone falls-that Chrom arrived with Reflet (who I had forgotten wasn't with us)

"*sigh* So, how many did he have?" he asked ud

"Well, he had around eight or nine and-" I was cut off

"Nine? That's hardly the most he's had"

I knocked the cask from off the branch for Chrom to see

"Oh. Well then, get him sorted out. Everyone who's still on their feet,meeting in an hour"

* * *

"So, apparently Vaike and Marcus couldn't attend the meeting" Chrom started "Anyway, I've been discussing Plegia with Emmeryn and Reflet. Apparently, Reflet decided to do some homework and she found that our army, with the way it's deployed and equipped, won't be able to hold off a Plegian advance"

"Right" Reflet followed "Outside the Knight Order, Pegasus Wing, Mage Academy and City Guard, our armed forces are practically all conscripts and mercenaries. Doesn't help when most of them are staying AWAY from the bandit raids. That probably means they don't want to fight anymore so we probably won't be able to count on them"

"So, since we have practically no military presence away from Ylisstol-"

"Wait, what!?" I cut in "You mean the Knight Order, Pegasus Wing and Mage Academy are ALL stationed in Ylisstol!?"

"Well, Emm thought that too much military presence would antagonize Plegia-"

"The fuck!? Your people are getting slaughtered and you're trying to avoid protecting them!?"

"Do you think I haven't told her that!? Look, she understands that but she's decided that we should at least keep up appearances, just to buy us time"

"For what?"

"All forces will be ordered to prepare for combat but will all stay in their posts. We won't mobilize yet to stall for as long as possible so we can get more equipment and manpower. As for the Shepherds, some of us will go to Regna Ferox and request aid. The others will continue their regular patrols"

"Nice, you and Emm thought of it?"

"No, Reflet did. You should try it sometime"

"What, strategizing?"

"Hm, more like thinking" the room burst into laughter at that insult to my intellect

"All right, all right, settle down. Now, For the Ferox Mission, I'll be taking Frederick, Lissa, Albireo, Sumia and Miriel. Here, Maribelle's in charge of the garrison while Sully's in charge of patrols. Got it?" everyone nodded

"Good, we leave tomorrow morning" and he stood up and left. Soon, Reflet and I were left studying the map

"Reflet"

"Hm, yeah?" she looked up at me

"Nothing, it's just I'm glad you're adjusting pretty well. I was worried you might have a hard time with your amnesia"

"Oh? Don't worry about it, having something to do takes my mind off it. Plus, with Chrom, Lissa and you looking out for me, it's probably impossible for me to be lonely"

"That's good. Just... Remember, if you need anything, we're all here for you, 'kay?"

"Yeah, thanks mom"

 _Wait, what!? Fuck, karma's a bitch_

"Oh, shut up and go to your room"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 5**

* * *

 **A/N** Yaaay, the plot's moving again! Kinda. A bit. Anyway, sorry if this took so long (it probably didn't though) Anyway, the only reason the last one came out so fast was because I was bored. Anyway, for those who didn't quote catch it, Marcus's weapons are two custom hand axes. Appearance is basically that of a standard Steel Axe (from Fates) but of course, smaller.

That's all, bye now!

-NS01 Out-

 ***Edit 20/5/16 Edited the A/N a bit**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: "You know that battle in Arena Ferox? That one where the leader of the whole country is decided? Well, we've got only one trained fighter on each side. The others are either amnesiacs or untrained videogame fanboys. Have fun."**

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

"Are we there yet?"

"No"

"Are we there yet?"

"No, milady"

"Are we there-"

"OH FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS GOOD AND HOLY IN THIS WORLD WILL YOU PLEASE STOP IT, LISSA!?" I suddenly burst out

"... Are we there yet?"

"You have got to be kidding me" I deadpanned

"What?" she pouted "It's too quiet around here"

"Chrom, I swear to Naga, if your sister doesn't shut up, I will shut her up- PERMANENTLY"

"You know, I'm half-tempted to help you do it" he answered

"Milord, perhaps there's a way to do so without causing lasting harm to milady?"

"What do you suggest?"

"My training also improves character besides-" nope. Cut him off

"Frederick, you said- and I quote 'Without causing harm to milady'"

"Yeah, I'd rather-"

"Uh-uh Lissa. Let the grown-ups talk" I said putting a finger to her lips. She graciously reponded by smacking me upside the head with her staff

"Lissa" Chrom said sternly. Lissa gulped

"Yes, big bro?" Chrom grinned like a shark

"You're grounded" I swear, Lissa's screaming could be heard from Valm

* * *

"I just noticed something" I spoke up

"What is it?" Chrom asked

"Isn't Reflet like, our tactician?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Why isn't she with us then?"

"Well, we're on a diplomatic mission so we probably won't need a tactician"

 _Chrom, you have no idea what you're talking about_

"Milord" Frederick's voice snapped me out of my thoughts "Risen, straight ahead" he pointed towards a bridge on a river

 _Wow. Way to prove my point. Well then, time for chapter 2. Let's see..._

We got six units: one mage, one flier, one healer, an archer, our lord and our resident early-game murder machine.

 _Well, we're outmanned so... Fuck it, GO MURDER MACHINE_

"Frederick, you're our shield. Sumia, take Lissa airborne, keep her out of danger and strike wherever you can. Everyone! Form up behind Frederick! Miriel, spread fire at 15 degrees. Chrom, cut down anything that gets close. I'll take out anything that's too far"

"Got it! Lissa, go with Sumia!" Chrom barked "Everyone, form up!" we packed in tight behind Frederick's armored horse

"Now, advance!" we approached the Risen at a steady pace. Those directly in front of us were either impaled, incinerated or cut in half while Sumia swooped in all over the place. Things were going smooth

 _A little too smooth. I could swear that Risen was still standing just a moment ago... JESUS CHRIST THAT RISEN'S HEAD JUST EXPLODED_

"Well done, Kellam. Now return to formation" Frederick said

 _Right... The Kellam joke_

I squinted a bit and finally saw the knight

"Milord, I read over the mission document and noticed that Kellam's name is in fact, on the mission roster. Perhaps you just missed it" Frederick stated

 _Wow. They're really gonna milk that, huh?_

"Oh. Sorry Kellam" Chrom replied

 _I swear to god, this is just another bad fanfic... Oh wait, it is_

* * *

A few hours after that lousy excuse for a battle, we are now on the verge of another one.

"Travelers! State your business!" Commander Whatsername shouted

"I am Prince Chrom of Ylisse and I seek an audience with the Khan!"

"Hah! Filthy trespasser! Do you really think we would believe you to be Ylissean!?"

"What-"

"Turn back now or face justice, bandit!"

"HOLD IT!" a female voice shouted and its owner walked into view

"Commander of the Feroxi Border Guard, you are in the presence of the blood of Ylisse's exalt!" Reflet declared

"Hah! All right then. Prove it!" the Feroxi commander countered. Reflet froze, unable to reply when suddenly, I remembered something

"The royal line of Ylisse possesses the Brand of the Exalt. Prince Chrom has it on his right shoulder!" I called out to them "If you require more proof, you may also inspect his sword, the divine blade Falchion! If you do not, then whatever violence will be of your own doing!"

"Threatening us eh? Why I ought to-"

"JUST INSPECT THE DAMN SWORD!" Chrom yelled out, removing his sword's strap and holding out Falchion

"Hmph. Fine then" the commander said before disappearing from view, presumably towards a stairway

* * *

"Okay, so why did you come?" Chrom asked. We were in the main hall after the Feroxi officer- Raimi, apparently-inspected Chrom's brand and sword.

"Not that I'm complaining but yeah, why are you here?"

"Well, um..." Reflet started before I raised my hand

"I asked her"

"Oh? Well then, good call I guess."

"Prince Chrom" Raimi returned "I've sent a raven announcing your arrival to the capital. Please, allow me to escort you there"

"Yes, that would be most appreciated"

"Of course, milord. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies"

"It's fine. Now then, let's be off"

"Yes milord"

* * *

"Prince Chrom, please wait here while I summon the khan"

"Of course" he replied

"Alright, here's what I know" I spoke up "Regna Ferox is governed by two Khans, east and west. We are in the East Khan, Flavia's territory. Now, every few years, the Khans hold a tournament to-"

"To decide who would rule over the whole nation" a woman's voice spoke up

 _Yep, here she is. Timing: Perfect_

"Ah, of course, your grace" I gave a slight bow "Or would you rather I call you something less formal?"

"My, aren't you the smart one? That's right, we don't quite honor formalities here as much as you southerners do so please, just call me Flavia. It's an honor to meet you, Prince Chrom"

"Likewise" he replied, offering a hand which the Khan firmly shook

"Now, it is as your man here says: Every few years, we hold a tournament to decide who gets to rule over the entire nation. And, well, I guess your man- what's your name?" she asked me "-could tell you the rest"

I nodded in affirmation "My name is Albireo, Khan Flavia. Now, in the last tournament, the West Khan, Basilio's champion won. Therefore, he's reigning Khan which means if we want an alliance with Ferox..." I stopped, glancing at Reflet signaling her to finish for me

 _Because she's the tactician here dammit! Wait, that means... Oh god, please don't say "Go to Basilio"_

"... we'll have to help Flavia take the throne"

 _YES! PLOT WINS THROUGH_

"Ha! You got yourself two clever minds working for you, Chrom. Yes, that would be my offer: Represent East Ferox-and win-and you get yourselves an alliance"

"Well, if my two 'clever' minds- though I'm not so sure about Albireo- think that's best then we'd be glad to help" Chrom said

"Excellent! Now, to celebrate this friendship between the Halidom of Ylisse and Eastern Ferox: a drink!"

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

In the three days we've been in Ferox, we've done nothing but train. Oh, and eat. And drink. And train again.

Whatever it is that the Feroxi are known for (*cough* ale *cough*), it seems that they excel at it.

Anyway, Albireo's been taking charge lately especially with training. He's been studying and consulting Flavia about "anti-sword techniques" for some reason. When I asked him why, he said:

"I just have this feeling... When the tournament starts, you'll understand"

 _And now here we are... Well Albireo, you had better be right about this_

We were in the Arena, crowds filled the stands and the Khans seated with their guards in their respective booths

The Khans had agreed to a three-on-three battle and Chrom chose Albireo and me against three lightly-armored men with fox masks. When I asked him why he didn't take Frederick, he gave the same answer as Albireo did:

"I just have this feeling"

 _Just great, one of you chose to specialize at the cost of flexibility and the other one left out his best soldier in favor of some stranger he just picked up at some town. Men and their guts, ugh, whatever, let's just see what we're up against. Light armor so that should mean they focus on speed. That means Albireo got it right unless they use daggers. The masks seem familiar, where did I see them before?_

"Alright then!" Khan Basilio's voice boomed "Let's get this show started"

No sooner than he had spoken did two of our opponents brought out tomes (!) and simultaneously cast a spell. Within seconds, ice started to form all over the arena and one of them switched tomes to fire a more powerful spell.

We were left struggling against the freezing gale. Over the howl of the wind, I barely heard Albireo say:

"Shit, I forgot Dread Fighters could use magic"

 _Dread Fighters, right. Elite, mid/close-range combat troops. That means-_

Suddenly, one of our opponents rushed at us, leapt into the air and brought out a collapsible staff and landed right in the middle of our formation and started attacking _all 3 of us at the same time._ Holding off Chrom while delivering blows to Albireo and me in between.

Then, just as suddenly as he had attacked, he broke away and ran off-into a newly-formed ice maze.

"They're planning to split us up" I said

"What do we do?" Albireo asked, now a lot less confident

"We don't" Chrom and I said in unison.

We entered the maze together with Albireo always just a few paces away just to be able to give fire support

 _Neutralizing our range advantage. Smart. How do we cope?_

"Albireo, try to climb one of those ice crystals. That should at least give you some room"

"But what if they sneak up on me?"

"This is a chokepoint. To get to you, they have to get through us"

"Fine" he said before going to one particularly large crystal

"What about us?" Chrom asked

"These guys are offensive fighters. They won't just be sitting around for long. We wait for them to come for us. When they do, then we engage. Albireo, tell us when you see any movement, got it?" no response. I turned to look at his perch and saw that he wasn't there"

 _Shit, they made this maze. Why wouldn't they know how to use it to their advantage?_

Sure enough, the staff-wielding fighter and another one-this time with a sword-dropped in on either side of us.

 _Damn, I guess it's time to see how well this works_

I switched Grimoire to my left hand and focused its energy in my right to form a sword shape before falling into a defensive stance

 _Too bad I have to hold Grimoire to keep this up. A one-handed grip won't last long on the defensive._

"So, you take sword guy, I take staff guy?" Chrom asked. I nodded

"Well then I guess I should bring this out then" sword guy said before sheathing his sword and exchanging it for a shorter- yet more sinister looking- black sword

"Where did you get that?" I heard Chrom ask. Sword guy lowered his sword and gestured for me to look behind me. I turned and saw staff guy- except now without a staff and instead, with a sword identical to Chrom's

"Well now, let's get to it" black-sword-guy (I swear I have nothing better to call him) called my attention before striking

 _He fights fair at least but wait- where'd I hear that voice before?_

He struck again. With every swipe of his blade, lightning danced in the air. If I weren't in this fight, I'd say this was the most beautiful light show ever- lightning and darkness.

He suddenly kicked my leg before running off.

 _Hit and run? Definitely speed-based. Even if we lose, at least I could say "I was right"_

"Chrom, you good?" I turned only to see another ice wall, apparently set up by the other man

 _Advanced disruption with ice walls? Why do I get the feeling this happens a lot?_

"Chrom!" I called out louder

"Yeah, I'm good" he answered from the other side

"Okay, so sitting tight's not a good idea right now. Navigate the maze and try to link up. Avoid confrontation if possible"

"Alright then" and he (presumably ran off)

I started heading off on my own before realizing just how _FUCKED_ we are. Here we are, split up in irregular terrain against three opponents with superior terrain usage skills.

Suddenly, all three fighters dropped in around me

 _Yep, way to prove my point._

"Well then, I guess I should yield" I said, holding up my arms

They nodded to each other and took off their masks revealing the faces of Robin, who was holding the black sword, Lucina who had the Falchion lookalike and Grayson who was equipped with two daggers.

"Keep quiet for now. Can't let Chrom know what he's up against. Don't worry, we'll tell everyone later" Grayson said smiling as he put his mask on with the others following suit. I just nodded before they leapt up onto the ice crystals, presumably to Chrom. Knowing him, he won't go down without a fight.

 _Well, good luck, Chrom. Don't get yourself beat too badly_

And I went off to look for the exit

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

"Well done boys! And, er-girl" Basilio clapped Grayson and me on the back

"Right. I guess there's more than one way to win a match" Flavia spoke as she entered the west booth. She continued "Anyway, what'll we do with all that ice that your champions made?"

"Don't worry about that, Flavia. I'll have my men clean it up"

"Okay then. Anyway, I still have to tell Chrom that the alliance is off" she said

"Not necessarily" Grayson spoke up

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, he set some conditions before he agreed to fight for me. One of them was that Ferox would ally with Ylisse" Basilio said with a grin

"What!? Why?" Flavia asked in shock

"Bring us to Chrom, then we'll talk"

* * *

"So, you're the ones who beat us?" Chrom asked. We just nodded.

"Well then, good fight" he shook our hands in turn "Anyway, Flavia. Sorry we couldn't help you. I'll call my party and we'll go back to Ylisse. We have a war to prepare for" he said almost grimly

"Not alone, boy" Basilio said "We've discussed it already. Regna Ferox will ally with Ylisse"

"What!? Really? Khan Flavia, thank you for bringing it-"

"Don't thank me, thank these three"

"Thank you all" Chrom bowed "Please, may I have your names?"

Grayson held his hand to his mask.

 _There's the signal_

We simultaneously took off our masks as well as our head wrappings- balaclava, Grayson called them.

"Why am I not surprised?" Albireo deadpanned

"Wait, You didn't know?" Reflet asked

"AND YOU DID!?"

"Yeah, they took off the mask after I yielded. What, didn't they do that for you too?"

"Well, I would've yielded if I hadn't been shoulder-hoist POWERBOMBED OFF MY PERCH INTO THE FLOOR AND KNOCKED THE FUCK OUT! Who was that anyway?"

Grayson raised his hand with a smirk

"Figures" Albireo crossed his arms

"Anyway, thanks for that" Chrom said

"Anytime. Remember, we don't work for you but we're still your friends" Grayson replied, offering a fist that Chrom promptly pounded

"Wait, so that was your plan? To fight for me with mostly the same condition?" Basilio asked

"Yes, you oaf, we got screwed over" Flavia punched him in the arm "Damn kid, you're good" she regarded Grayson

"Wait, 'mostly the same condition'? There were other conditions?" Chrom asked

"And with that, we take our leave" Grayson said, getting ready to leave

"Right, time to go. Sorry kids, it's confidential" Basilio stood up and motioned for us to follow him out

"Alright then, bye guys" I waved cheerily, motioning for Lucina to come with me

"Bye" Albireo and Reflet waved back

"Who's the girl?" Chrom asked

"That's Marth" Albireo answered

"MARTH'S A GIRL!?

* * *

 **End of Chapter 6**

* * *

 **A/N** SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY about the long update time. I have a few excuses but decided you wouldn't want to hear it...

Who am I kidding, I'm gonna end up telling you anyway. My laptop gave out on me after 10 years. I've literally been using that since the fourth grade. When I got a new one, I realized that all my files- including my story layout- were on it and my backups were lost because ONE OF MY NEANDERTHAL CLASSMATES "ACCIDENTALLY" DELETED EVERYTHING on my hard drive so instead of winging it to keep this running, I had to re-read what I was able to put out and re-type the notes and layout.

Oh, right, Reflet's tome can do that and it has a name now: Grimoire

Thank you and please remember to review!

-NS01 out-


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: "Oh, sure, we're just college-aged kids with no military or political experience whatsoever. Still, that doesn't mean we can't pretend to know what we're doing, right?"**

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

"So," I spoke once we reached Basilio's office in the arena "The property?"

He took out a map from his drawer and lay it out on the desk

"It's an abandoned mining depot right-" he pointed to an area on the western end of the Longfort next to lake Aurelis "-here. It's not too worn down. Some of our border patrols use it still as a rest stop so if they come over, show them this document" he said before pulling out a scroll from his drawer "What you do to them is up to you, it's your property now"

"Don't worry" I replied "They could still stop over, we won't mind. So anyway, what about those names I've been asking for?"

"Ah, yes, here" he pulled out a small notebook "These are all the major Feroxi materials merchants and groups. I had them organized by type of goods and business size. Problem is, Ferox doesn't really have that many magic supply dealers so I'm not sure if you'll get EVERYTHING you'll be needing"

"Not a problem. I already told Chrom to hook me up to their mage academy's supplies and besides, we don't need that much magic equipment"

"Alright then, that's that" he said with finality "Anyway, pleasure doing business with you" he extended a hand which I firmly shook

"Pleasure's all mine. And thank you, Khan Basilio" I said before exiting with the map, papers and the ledger with Robin and Lucina in tow. However, we had barely even left the building when we heard Basilio's voice

"Hey, wait!" he said, running up to us "I forgot something. Well, two things actually. Lon'qu!" he called out. The aforementioned swordsman stepped out into view. "You remember him, right? Well, he's coming with you now" he said

"Oh? Well, how do you feel about that, Lon'qu?"

"It's fine. Just… Keep her away from me" he said glaring and pointing a finger at Lucina

"Relax, relax, she won't hurt you but alright"

"Great, now for the second thing. Boys! Bring it in!" Basilio called out to his men. Seconds later, two men arrived leading a snow-white horse with-

 _Oh god, he's giving us a Pegasus_

The Pegasus was giving the two men a little difficulty but followed nonetheless

"See, none of us knew how to ride these things and besides, the weather ain't fit for them so here you go. You Ylisseans should know at least a little more about them, right?"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Lucina came closer to the steed and slowly but surely, laid a hand on its head. The horse almost instantly easing into her hand and she began to stroke its mane

"Well I'll be damned, it looks like I was right!" Basilio laughed

"Lucina… Where'd you learn that?" I asked even though I knew the answer

 _Maternal inheritance… Well, I guess that means we know who Chrom's wife is_

"Oh, well, my mother taught me while I was young. She would always take me for a ride on her Pegasus though we would never really fly too high- high enough for a little child like me at least. Then when my sister was born, mother would take us both and we would ride around the courtyard" she said fondly. Robin and I just smiled at her reminiscence before I decided that was enough

"Alright then, I guess that means you'll be going on ahead" I told her

"Don't worry boy, I've decided to give you some group transportation as well" Basilio said "There's a wagon and two horses at the gate. You could use them for when you need to pick up all that stuff you said you'd be needing"

"Really? Thanks, Basilio" I said but he just waved it off

"Bah, that's fine. If anything, I should be thanking you. That Ylissean prince looked quite the swordsman, given that he'd been able to knock two of you out" he said, leaving me and Robin to just smile awkwardly, reminded of how even with a numerical disadvantage, Chrom was still better than us both

"Yeah, that. Anyway, Basilio, I guess it's time for us to go" I said

"Ah, of course, I've kept you long enough. Have a safe trip now, you hear?" and he retreated into the building, followed by his guards while we left in the opposite direction. At the gates, we found our wagon and the two horses

"Alright, in we go. Lucina, you can saddle up now" she climbed her mount and it extended its wings revealing brilliant blue plumage

 _Hmm… Too convenient. Something's up. Gotta check with Stryker later but first…_

"So, I'm gonna take a nap. Who wants the reins first?"

"I'll do it" Lon'qu spoke

"I'll take a nap too, I guess. You okay by yourself, Lon'qu?"

"I'm fine. After all, you two just had a tournament to fight, you deserve that rest"

I suddenly remembered Lucina. She was in the tourney too- besides the fact that she's been fighting non-stop- but she's not getting any rest yet

 _Don't worry. When we get there, we'll all have time to rest_

And with that, I dozed off

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

"Emm! We're home!" Lissa called as we entered the castle

"Lissa? Hold on, I'm coming" and after a few seconds, Emm appeared

"Emm!" Lissa ran to hug her. Emmeryn was taken by surprise- well, she would be if she hadn't gotten used to it so she had been able to return the hug before breaking off to hug me.

"So, how was your trip?" she asked

"It went great. Ferox has agreed to ally with Ylisse" I said

"Really? That's wonderful. I knew sending you was the right choice"

"Yeah, well, that wasn't really on us"

"Oh? Then what happened? Oh, wait a minute, let's head to the terrace and get some tea and biscuits. I have a feeling that this will be quite a story"

* * *

"So" Emm said after a sip of tea "You represented the East Khan in a tournament under the condition that if you win, we get the alliance. Now, you lost but the West Khan's representatives also wanted an alliance between Ylisse and Ferox. Did I get that right?" I nodded

"So, who exactly are Grayson, Robin and Marth?"

"Well, we met Grayson and Robin near Southtown on our last mission there. I told you about them, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Along with Albireo and Reflet, if I recall correctly"

"Yes. As for Marth, we met her on our way back from Southtown and Grayson and Robin have been traveling with her since" I said before taking another bite of my biscuit

"Well, that's a shame. I had wanted to thank them personally"

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure we'll see them again. After all, Grayson told me that they'll be working for our interests too"

"Oh? Well that's good. Now, you mentioned Albireo and Reflet. I would very much like to meet them"

"Sure thing. I'll have them over right away" I made ready to leave

"No. I want to visit them in the garrison"

* * *

"So, I believe you are sir Albireo and lady Reflet. My brother has told me about you two although he neglected to make any mention of sir Marcus here"

"It is alright milady and please, don't call us 'sirs'. We haven't done anything worthy of the title" Marcus replied

"Well, I have a feeling you will, eventually" Emmeryn smiled at the man's modesty "so anyway, tell me about yourselves"

"Well, Reflet and I met Chrom at Southtown and we were with Grayson at the time…"

* * *

"And so here we are" Marcus finished

"A rather interesting story" Emmeryn said

 _You don't know half of it. Wait til they decide to tell you about their "Wanderer" business_

"Agreed"

"So, I hear you are quite the tactician, miss Reflet"

"Well, I don't think I'm that great but thanks for the praise, milady"

"You're welcome. Now forgive me, but I must speak with you about more pressing matters"

"Plegia" Albireo and Marcus said in unison

"Indeed. Now, I believe you three have some very useful insights about our upcoming war. As much as it pains me to say, it is inevitable. Now the question is: how can we end this war as quickly as possible with as little toll on the people?"

"Milady, if I may, I recommend strengthening our border defenses. Especially against wyverns. Plegia is known for its elite wyvern wing" Reflet offered

"Right. Perhaps deploying more archers on border outposts and improving their equipment would be a great help" Albireo added "Longbows would be effective at stopping enemy advances from their positions"

"Of course, I'll tell my commanders right away"

"Oh, right, one more thing"

"Yes, Albireo"

"Do you have any ballistae?"

* * *

 _ **?**_

* * *

I looked at the image of Emmeryn, Chrom, Reflet, Albireo and Marcus

"Interesting" I said to no one in particular "So he plans on adding artillery to their arsenal. Good, good. Let's see if he can improve on that. If he does, then that would make my victory ever closer"

I willed the image to change and it shifted to a snow-blanketed scene where I saw Grayson, Robin, Lucina and Lon'qu training at their new homebase. Grayson was eagerly practicing Lon'qu's quick and agile fighting style and adding in his own moves

"Impressive. To mend your lack of technique by adding in a style that suits your preference, you really are an exceptionally skilled individual"

 _Too skilled. It's hard to believe that a Wanderer such as him would show such confidence in a skill he would typically be alien to. What did Stryker do to you to make you so skillful?_

"Oh?" I felt a tug at the back of my mind "Another one?" I shifted the image to show an unconscious young woman barreling through a tunnel of light, the end being in a small room

 _Let's see if I can make this work_

I focused on the image, specifically on the end of the tunnel. I willed it to close and focused again. When the portal opened again, it showed a field of grass

 _Well, I hope that place wouldn't be too harsh on her. Now, I'd best leave. The gods only know what would happen to me if Stryker or -gods forbid- Stark finds me_

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

After a brief rest upon our arrival at our new homebase, we quickly went to training. Since I figured I needed to learn an actual fighting style instead of just improvising, I asked Lon'qu to tutor me, since his technique seems to be agility-based like I would prefer.

I never thought, however, that all that agility was built from strength and so, by the end of the day, all my limbs were numb and sore from his training regime. Honestly, I'm scared for Albireo. If Frederick's training was considered terrible and this was considered normal, then god only knows what hell he'll have to go through.

Needless to say, I fell asleep the instant I landed on my bed

Now, just because I was asleep doesn't mean I'm safe from annoying people who just HAVE to dump their problems on me

"Grayson, this is bad, like, REAL bad" Stryker said urgently

"And why is that? What, did I screw up again?"

"No, it's not that"

"Then let me sleep"

"Dude, you ARE asleep"

"Fair enough, now what's the problem?"

"Alright, so one of the other wanderers I plucked out from your world was supposed to enter this one about three hours ago"

"So they didn't arrive?"

"No, they did but not where they're supposed to"

"Care to explain?"

"See, when you Wanderers were chosen, your date and location upon arrival would be independently determined by the Operator- he's practically Multiverse-God- meaning you wake up where and when he wants you"

"Wait, why does it sound to me like we were 'chosen' in a group"

"Because you were. All of you were removed from your world at the exact same time. You're just inserted into this one at different points in time"

"Okay, now back to your problem"

"Right. So when I looked into it, it appears that someone interfered with the insertion process. Now, of course it would be my concern but enforcing the barriers of time-space isn't my job, it's my counterpart, Stark's"

"*cough* winter is coming *cough*" I just had to do that. He just rolled his eyes

"Ugh. Anyway, Stark is in charge of making sure no one jumps across universes or messes with their boundaries whereas I facilitate jumping across universes and permeating their barriers- legally, so to speak"

"So his job is to make sure no one else does yours?"

"Basically"

"And this is a problem, how?"

"Okay, the first thing is that it means that someone from this world has a strong enough affinity to magic to mess with the fabric of reality itself" well, I admit, that does sound a bit bad but hey, maybe we can get them on our side. Then we'd be unstoppable

"And the other reasons are?"

"Well, I guess I forgot to tell you some stuff: First, while Wanderers who were transported by me are generally legitimate, you are basically an exception which means if he finds you, you're pretty much sentenced to nonexistence"

"Dude, WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!? YOU LITERALLY PUT ME AT RISK OF GETTING WINKED OUT OF EXISTENCE!? THEN WHAT'S THE OTHER GODDAMN THING YOU DIDN'T TELL ME!?"

"Well, the other thing is that the Wanderer who got displaced… Well, she's your sister"

 _What?_

"Aaand she's not a legit wanderer either"

 _WHAT!?_

 _Grace?_

* * *

 **End of Chapter 7**

* * *

 **A/N** Welp, new plotline! Yay! Grayson is fucked! (and has a sister)

Meanwhile, who could this powerful mage be (and why does it seem to be obvious who they are?)

Well, nothing much else to say. Thank you and please remember to leave a review!

-NS01 out-


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: "Pick up a new guy off the street, send him to fight bandits. Sound familiar, anyone?"**

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

"We're BAAACK!" Marcus announced as he and Albireo entered the mess hall

"Yes, we know. You don't have to tell everyone from here to Valm" I grumbled as I took a bite of my food

"Wait, what was that? I don't quite think I heard you" he answered, smiling, almost… sneering…

"Look, Marcus, I've had a long day meeting with Emmeryn and the commanders and I don't think that annoyingly loud people are gonna be helpful"

"Woah, there, easy. That kinda hurt. I-"

"Marcus, lay off her for a bit. She's tired, I'm tired, everyone else is tired and I really think you should be too"

"Aw come on, man, don't tell me you used up all your energy working on that balli-" Albireo frantically covered his mouth with his hands

"Nope, nope, nope. No one needs to hear that yet"

I raised an eyebrow while everyone just looked at them. Albireo then spoke up

"Uh, okay. So, we received a tip yesterday morning about 'bandit activity' near Themis-"

"So that's why Maribelle left" Sumia spoke

"Right. Thing is, they got her and are pulling back to Plegia. So tomorrow morning, Chrom will be taking Frederick, Lissa, Sully, Stahl, Reflet and me to cut off their escape route"

"Whoa, hold on there. Why wait until tomorrow?" Sully asked

"Well, according to my estimations, if those bandits want to retreat to Plegia from Themis undetected, they would have to head through the dense forest south of it which would greatly increase their travel time which would only be aggravated by the fact that the Themisian sector's Pegasus unit would likely be making patrols all over Themis' region of influence, forcing them to travel more cautiously at the cost of speed" Reflet stated

"That's why Chrom only brought the cavalry and a single healer- and Reflet and me. But we've been getting training and this is a perfect opportunity for me to try that thing I've been working on"

"What thing? The only thing I know is the thing from today" Marcus asked

"Marcus" Albireo smiled " _That_ thing is only for two things. One of which is attachment to _this_ thing"

The room stared at him blankly

"What? I shouldn't give it away"

* * *

 _ **Dylan**_

* * *

 _Right. That must be them_

I spotted the Shepherds approaching Themis and I prepared my things and more importantly, my comm tome.

I really have to do this right. If I'm right, then these guys- especially someone named Albireo- are my best bet at getting back home.

"Lord Chrom!" I called out

"Hm?" he stopped his horse

"I would like to introduce myself. I-"

"Sorry friend, but we're after some bandits who ran off with the duke's daughter" Wow. Alright then no more beating around the bush

"Milord, I'm a Wanderer"

"Oh. Well, that changes everything. Ride with Albireo then. He'll be on the chariot over there" he pointed to a blonde-haired man (more like teenager. The guy is a college senior at most)

"Alright then" I ran off and got on

"Hey there" Albireo shook my hand "Albireo Masters, nice to meet you"

"Dylan Thorson. Likewise" I accepted the proffered hand

"So, I'm guessing you got a magic book with a message on it?"

"Sure, here" I held it out for him to read:

 **Dylan Thorson**

 **Welcome to Ylisse. Now, as per one of my agents' request, I must tell you this: You are NOT supposed to be here. That would mean that you would have a chance to go back home. However, we are currently experiencing a problem and so that will have to wait.**

 **Now normally, 'Illegitimate' Wanderers would be removed from existence entirely. However, the aforementioned agent was able to convince the enforcer of this rule, Stark Gryphus, to show leniency since you have no fault in this at all.**

 **As such, you will be granted the freedom afforded to regular Wanderers although I advise you to exercise caution- your actions will be more timeline-altering than most other people.**

 **Well then, that is all and good luck in Ylisse!**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

 **P.s. Introduce yourself to the Shepherds ASAP**

 **P.p.s. Look for Albireo. He should be able to help you**

"Okay then" he shut the book "This only gives me a lot of questions but those can wait. For now, stick with me. We should be somewhere in the rear" I nodded

"So, Dylan, tell me about yourself"

Over the next half hour, I narrated to him my story: My home in Minnesota, my job at our school system and the fact that I WAS PLAYING HALO 2 RIGHT BEFORE I BLACKED OUT AND GOT SENT HERE. Man, whoever sent me here is gonna have a bad time. Probably Stryker.

 _Damn you Stryker. You cost me my job and my game and- oh my god, MY PC's STILL RUNNING ISN'T IT!? DEAR LORD OR NAGA OR GRIMA OR WHOEVER, PLEASE LET SOMEONE NOTICE MY PC'S STILL ON IN MY ROOM_

Well that was… undignified. At least it was only in my head.

Anyway, back on track. Albireo asked me about my lance and I had to answer honestly- I can only guess how to use it. Fortunately, like he said, we'll be in the rear since he's an archer. With a crossbow. Oh, and a mountable BALLISTA.

* * *

"Alright Shepherds!" Chrom's horse slowed to a stop "The bandits should be emerging from that forest over there" he pointed to the south

"Once they're visible, Frederick, Sully and Stahl, follow me, we'll charge them. Reflet, follow us but keep to the rear. Albireo, snipe them from there. All good?" the Shepherds nodded in affirmation "All right then. Ready yourselves!"

It only took a few minutes before the bandits came

"Alright, now!" Chrom shouted as he sped his horse into combat, Frederick, Sully and Stahl in tow and Reflet advancing at a slower pace, firing off magic as she went

"Alright then, Dylan" Albireo said as he mounted his ballista on the chariot "I'll just need your help with loading this thing"

"Wow. I got sent across dimensions just to be used for manual labor" I deadpanned

"Yeah, shut up and help me already" I simply obeyed.

Okay, so I don't know how, but this guy is ACCURATE. I mean, our targets are small, moving and about a mile or so away and he STILL gets (some) hits in. Man, those supersized bolts look painful, even from here"

Suddenly, I heard a loud war cry off to our left

"Dammit, more Plegians! And they seem like army troops too. Hey Reflet! Plegian troops from the west, we'll need more cover over here!"

"What!? Damn, just as I expected! Alright, you two, prepare for close quarters combat!" she yelled as her horse changed direction"

"Got it" Albireo prepared his crossbow (his ballista had a limited angle of fire) and started taking potshots at the enemy "Alright, Dylan, I really hope you can use that lance- even if you have to guess" he joked

"Yeah, against the Plegian army? I'm gonna need more than one lance" I chuckled

"Well, don't worry. This is probably just the scout force. The main force won't be here until later" he answered "Trust me, Reflet and I planned for this"

"Oh really? How?"

"We got the Themisian cavalry on alert, all Reflet has to do is fire off a magic flare" he was interrupted by Reflet doing exactly what Albireo just said "-like that and we'll have reinforcements in about fifteen minutes"

"Wow, let's just hope we can last that long" I said as the first Plegian reached us. I blocked his sword, hit him in the ribs- once on both sides- then stabbed him through the stomach. Another one raised his axe, readty to strike at me when his face was impacted by a purple blast of lightning. After seeing some of their comrades die, the Plegians took a different approach: They encircled us and formed up tightly, shield users up front, and advanced on us slowly.

Magic and arrows aren't doing much and my lance is out of the question. I just hope we can do this

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

 _Thank god for magic_

Honestly, if it weren't for Reflet's AOE attacks, we wouldn't have been able to hold the Plegians off long enough for the cavalry to rescue our asses. Oh well, magic's just that broken I guess…

"So, Dylan. Nice work out there" Chrom clapped the man on the shoulder

"Oh SURE. Because having two broken ribs, multiple cuts and bruises and a life-threatening wound is SUCH a good performance" he snarked back

"Okay, okay, I'm just trying to make you feel better" he walks away before heading towards me and Reflet

"So, Albireo, nice work with that ballista"

"Yeah, thanks"

"Sure. Now, I guess we're in war now, huh?" he looked at both of us, as if looking for confirmation. We just nodded

"Well, I guess it couldn't be helped. I'll tell Emm when we get back to the capitol" he said before walking away to speak with Frederick

"Well, I guess that's that" Reflet said "So, I told Chrom, Frederick and Lissa to head straight back to Ylisstol after they rest up a bit"

"Just them?" she nodded "Well then what about us?"

"Well, Maribelle asked for assistance in organizing the city's defenses so we'll be here for a couple more days"

"Eh, I could use that. There's something I have to discuss with Grayson"

"About what?"

"Well, I saw something in Dylan's 'Welcome message' that bugged me. I'll have to go check with him"

"Oh, sure. I was thinking of spending some time in the city too. I might be able to pick up some books or maybe even tomes"

"Um, no offense but that would be pointless since you already have the Swiss army knife of tomes right there" I pointed at Grimoire

"Uh, excuse me, pointless?" she raised an eyebrow

"Yeah. In fact, it seems to me, you're just making up a reason to go around town and do some shopping or stuff like that"

"Albireo! How dare you insinuate something like that! I'll have you know that as a tactician, I cannot afford such distractions in the midst of conflict" she crossed her arms and gave me a disappointed frown

"Oh. Uhh… Sorry?" I offered meekly

"Oh you'd better be. And you better prove it by coming with me and buying me dinner" her frown changed into a smirk

"Oh, okay. For a moment there I- WHAT!?" I asked in shock but she just waved me off as she walked away, smiling

 _Damn… How did I NOT see that? Stupid tacticians with their stupid tactics_

I looked over to Dylan who was just grinning and gave me a thumbs-up

 _Yup… This is happening._

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

After a few days of locking myself up in my room (and the events that happened during that period), I got a message in my comm tome

 **Albireo: Hey Grayson?**

 **Grayson: Yeah?**

 **Albireo: Look, there's some stuff I need to talk to you about**

 **Marcus: Hey, does this thing work?**

 **Dylan: I guess so**

 **Grayson: Oh, so you two are the new guys**

 **Marcus: Hey, I ain't new. I've been here for more than two weeks already**

 **Grayson: Well, I haven't met you so you're new to me**

 **Marcus: Fine. Anyway, I'm Marcus Thomas**

 **Dylan: And I'm Dylan Thorson**

 **Grayson: And I'm pretty sure you didn't have to introduce yourselves since I could read your names anyway**

 **Marcus: Oh, right**

 **Grayson: So, I guess you'll be asking me about the stuff you saw in Dylan's tome's welcome message, huh Albireo?**

 **Albireo: Right. Wait, how'd you know**

 **Grayson: Well, here's the thing: I'm an "Illegitimate Wanderer too"**

 **Albireo: WHAT!? Why didn't you tell us!?**

 **Grayson: That's because STRYKER ONLY DECIDED TO TELL ME A FEW DAWS AGO!**

 **Stryker: Right… My bad**

 **Albireo: Dude, what the fuck!? You literally put them at risk of nonexistence! Good thing one of your agents decided to talk to that Stark guy!**

 **Grayson: Oh, you have NO IDEA, Albireo. Tell 'em who your "agent" was, Stryker**

 **Stryker: I refuse to comment on that**

 **Stark: It was Grayson**

 **Albireo: What!?**

 **Dylan: Dude**

 **Marcus: Aw yeah! You get to be a Multiverse agent, Grayson!**

 **Grayson: Not funny, dude. Stryker, if you won't tell 'em, I will.**

 **Stryker: …**

 **Stark: All right, I will then.**

 **Stark: So. Apparently, Stryker here "accidentally" sent Grayson and a few others here outside of our planned Wanderer operations. Now, normally, I would've erased them from existence but Grayson here came clean and told me that he never wanted to go. Then, Stryker shows up and tells me that he only sent them here to help with a big problem that we've been keeping tabs on for some time.**

 **Dylan: And that would be…?**

 **Stryker: Okay, so there's this one guy who's apparently capable of messing with this Universe's boundaries. Even bringing in people and other things from other universes. That's when I decided to bring in my own "Infiltration Team" so to speak. Since they operate without any ties to this universe, they would have a better chance of finding this guy undetected. The thing is, one of them was Grayson's sister and she got redirected to someplace else so I had to tell Grayson about all this stuff**

 **Stark: Yeah. After that, Grayson locked himself up for a few days before deciding to contact me. Then we had an agreement: I let ALL Illegitimate Wanderers be and in exchange, he'll work for us**

 **Grayson: Yeah, it's not really thrilling but hey, I admit, it's got its perks**

 **Marcus: Like what? Super powers and shit?**

 **Grayson: Not quite but close. Greatly improved magical affinity since I've been hooked up to the Multiverse's energy flow.**

 **Stryker: You know you can use that for more than just blasting bolts at enemies. You can use it for… Pretty much ANYTHING. Flight, invisibility, passing through walls, physical enhancement…**

 **Grayson: Um, yeah, I'm not gonna bite. Guys, I forgot to tell you that my "powers" come from the idiot who is now partially in my head like JARVIS if JARVIS were INGRAINED INTO YOUR MIND AND SOOOOO MUCH MORE ANNOYING**

 **Stryker: Hey, at least I'm useful**

 **Grayson: Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it**

 **Albireo: Hold on, you said he's like JARVIS?**

 **Grayson: Yeah, messes with my sensory input to make me see lines that trace projectile paths and stuff. Like an annoying, sentient HUD**

 **Marcus: Duuuuude**

 **Dylan: I admit, that sounds great**

 **Grayson: No. Not great. Do you know how hard it is to accept that the guy who put you at risk is now literally IN YOUR HEAD and that he's the only thing making you awesome!? I'm not complaining but Stryker, you're an asshole.**

 **Stryker: All right, fine. I messed up. But at least know that I mean it when I say I genuinely do care about you and all the other Wanderers**

 **Grayson: Ugh. And the worst part is that I actually BELIEVE you. Whatever man, you got your Agent, I got my safety and that of my sister and every other poor sap you decided to bring here. Well then, I guess I'll be seeing you. I have to go train with Robin and Lucina. I haven't gotten out in days. I'm lucky they bring me food and keep me company.**

 **Marcus: All right then. Take care of yourself, man.**

 **Grayson: I will. Oh, and don't worry, we'll be seeing each other soon**

 **Dylan: Let me guess… The assassination plot?**

 **Grayson: Yeah although I guess I'll only be meeting Marcus there unless you two can get to the capitol quick enough. Well, then I'm gonna go now. For real this time**

 **Albireo: All right, bye**

 **Dylan: Bye, man**

* * *

 **End of Chapter 8**

* * *

 **A/N** Okay then… What's my excuse… Nope, got nothing. I guess I just got lazy… (the fact that I didn't even try to make an excuse only highlights how lazy I got"

Anyway, I'm sorry for the abnormally long wait and… Um… nothing else to say…

Oh, right. I guess we know what ship's gonna happen now. See, I figured since I'm running Robin/Lucina, I really shouldn't run F!Robin/Chrom for two reasons:

-They're either the same person marrying a father and his daughter (which doesn't feel right) or they're functionally siblings marrying a father and his daughter (which STILL doesn't feel right) AND:

-Too. Much. OU pairings (wow. I just HAD to use THAT abbreviation for "overused")

Oh, another thing: I'm sorry for what I did to Grayson. This was all according to plan but that doesn't make it any better. Really, I'm sorry if he's Sue-ish but I'm not budging on this. He was meant to be OP from the start. Again, I'm sorry.

And one more thing: Dylan Thorson was submitted by Tumerboy12 (thanks man) and is the first Submitted OC to be shown here. If you had submitted an OC, be patient, they'll turn up (if only a bit later on). If you want to make a submission, the form's in Chapter 4's A/N. (I might make a separate chapter for it)

So, thanks to those who Fav'd and Followed! It means a lot to me.

-NS01 out-


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: "Hey, why don't we make the canon characters more badass than they have to be?"**

* * *

 _ **Grace**_

* * *

 _Well this is just fucking great…_

I've been roaming around for a few days, desperately trying to contact Stryker from my supposed Communication Tome and only _now_ do I get a response?

 _And it's not even from that bastard. Damn, he'll be in trouble for what he says he just did to me and- apparently- Grayson._

 **Grayson: Grace, are you there?**

 **Grace: Grayson? That really you?**

 **Grayson: OH THANK GOD Stryker told me the truth this time. Anyway, where are you?**

 **Grace: I'm somewhere in southwestern Valm**

 **Grayson: Oh, okay then. Do you think you can get on a ship to Ylisse?**

 **Grace: Well, no. For some reason, I can't find anyone headed there.**

 **Albireo: Hm. Must be the war.**

 **Grace: Well then who the fuck are you?**

 **Marcus: Grayson, is your sister really THIS much of a pottymouth?**

 **Grayson: Come on, she's not THAT bad… But yeah, she is**

 **Grace: Okay, so who else is here?**

 **Dylan: Me**

 **Grace: Ok then, anyone else?**

 **Albireo: Nah, that's all of us.**

 **Grace: Okay. So anyway, I guess I can't really go there right now. Besides, I got a little sidetracked.**

 **Albireo: With what?**

 **Grace: You know Priam? Ike's descendant?**

 **Marcus: Him? I guess you're saying you joined up with his army, huh?**

 **Grace: Well, technically at least. I'm just tagging along for now. Stryker told me to look for Wanderers around here while I'm at it.**

 **Grayson: Hm. Did that SOB explain the situation to you?**

 **Grace: Yeah, he did. Said he'll even let me have powers or something if I want to work for/with him and his "associates"**

 **Grayson: Grace, I'm telling you now, do NOT accept that offer.**

 **Grace: Well why's that?**

 **Grayson: Apparently, he doesn't "give" you powers. More like he inhabits your body like some second consciousness or whatever and uses it to channel HIS power. Apparently he's some sort of god-level being. Pretty half-assed though, considering he needs to possess a body to use his powers.**

 **Stryker: Excuse me, I don't HAVE to. It just helps to stabilize me.**

 **Grayson: Wow, you do realize how stupid that sounds, right? "Stabilize"? What the fuck does that even mean? On second thought, don't answer that. I don't have to hear it.**

 **Grace: Riiight. And that's bad because?**

 **Grayson: Well, A: it's creepy knowing he can take over any time, leaving you in the backseat, so to speak; and B: even if he's not in control, he can still do weird shit to your mind like make you see and hear stuff. "Stuff" being mostly him. And it's not fun. It's not.**

 **Grace: Oookay then… Well, now I don't know what we should be talking about.**

 **Marcus: Introductions!**

 **Grace: Okay then, you start us off.**

 **Marcus: Right, I'm Marcus Thomas from New York city. 20 and single-**

 **Grayson: Marcus, when I see you, I swear I will MAKE YOU SEE INTERNAL ORGANS YOU DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU HAD**

 **Marcus: Oh. Well, um, okay then, I'll just back off… Please don't kill me**

 **Grayson: Hmph, better be careful or else, I will literally let Stryker take over for the sole purpose of putting you through hell**

 **Stryker: Trust me, he will do it. I don't know how but he'll convince me too**

 **Grace: OH NOW YOU ANSWER!**

 **Stryker: All right, all right. Sorry. Anyway, I'm answering from Grayson's body and he won't be too happy I'm taking so much time. Ciao!**

 **Grayson: Bastard. Anyway, next introduction.**

 **Albireo: All right. I'm Albireo Masters, New York city, age 19. I'm also Marcus' friend from college.**

 **Dylan: I'm Dylan Thorson from Minnesota, 22 and I work with our school system.**

 **Grace: Well, it's nice to meet you all. Except you, Marcus. Why the fuck were you flirting with some girl you've never met, you creep?**

 **Marcus: Oh, so you'd like to meet up first, is that it?**

 **Grayson: Great job digging your hole deeper, Marcus. You've just ensured yourself a Stryker-level torture. What'cha got, Stryker?**

 **Stryker: Hmm… Flay him alive. Then pour on some alcohol or maybe gasoline then burn him.**

 **Grayson: Not bad. Maybe we can tie him down and perform acupuncture therapy on him before we burn him.**

 **Albireo: That… Doesn't sound so bad.**

 **Grayson: With 9-inch nails. Oh, and we have no idea how to perform acupuncture.**

 **Stryker: Yeah, well what about the anatomy lesson you said you'll be teaching him?**

 **Grayson: Oh right. Well then, I guess we can do the flaying first, then the acupuncture, then the dissection, and then the burny-burny.**

 **Stryker: Sounds good. What do you think, Marcus?**

 **Albireo: Guys, I don't think he's even reading this tome now.**

 **Grayson: Good. That should teach him.**

 **Dylan: So anyway, Grace, I believe it's your turn.**

 **Grace: Oh, right. I'm Grace Corvus from Newport, Rhode Island and I'm 18 years old.**

 **Marcus: Oh, so you're legal?**

 **Stryker: Okay, so Grayson told me to send you to an alternate dimension or at least a planet where the atmosphere is boiling hot and highly acidic. The only reason I won't is because the two of us are in enough trouble as is.**

 **Marcus: So you're saying that you would?**

 **Grace: Well, it IS your fault.**

 **Marcus: Why do you all hate me?**

 **Grayson: OH HELL NO! YOU DID NOT JUST PUT A SMILEY IN THERE! YOU CANCER, I WILL WIPE YOU OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH!**

 **Dylan: I believe he gets the point, Grayson.**

 **Grace: Yeah, well this has been fun and all but I think I should get going now. Priam's scheduled a meeting on our next move. Something about bandits heading towards some blacksmith village. With luck, I think we'll probably get some new gear.**

 **Grayson: Oh, by the way, did you wake up already with a weapon?**

 **Grace: Well, yeah. Apparently, Stryker left me a bifurcated longsword. You?**

 **Grayson: Same. And I do mean SAME WEAPON.**

 **Grace: Oh… Cool. Anyway, gotta go. Bye!**

 **Albireo: Bye**

 **Dylan: See ya**

Well that was… Unique.

"Hey! Grace!" the captain- Priam- called from outside

"Uh, yeah?" I stood up "Come in" he promptly entered

"Yeah, so about that thing you asked me about? People wearing strange clothes like you were when we found you? We heard about someone in a town on the eastern coast of the continent. Wanna go check it out?"

"Huh? What did you hear?"

"Well, they say he stumbled into town wearing some tough, dark-blue pants and some sort of white collared shirt before he got taken in by the authorities. After that, he stayed with them and even worked with the town watch"

 _Hmm… Plot advantage? Definitely a self-insert. I mean Wanderer… Also, dark-blue pants? I guess this world hasn't heard of jeans…_

"Sure. Let's head over there I guess"

"Alright then. We'll travel light so just call Ayer, Vick, Lucius and Matilda and tell them they're coming with us"

"Right. On it, cap" I said with a salute

"I'll have Samuel ready our horses. Now, get going" he said as he exited

 _Right…_

 _Ayer. Our company's best archer and scout. Great with a bow but not so much with his words. Always gets into trouble because of that._

 _Vick. The man with the thickest armor- and the thickest skull- in the company. Still though, you can always count on his instincts to pull us through a fight._

 _Lucius. The most hotheaded idiot to ever take up a sword. Either he's fighting, practicing for a fight or picking a fight_

 _And Matilda. Our resident healer/mage. Gods know how many times she's gotta drill into our heads that she's the reason we don't bleed out whenever Priam sends us out on "special missions". I hate that she's right most of the time._

 _Good people, all of them. There's not a lot of us and we've got a lot of ground to cover but that's just as well. We'll cover a lot more ground with a small force of our best soldiers._

With that thought, I left my tent to look for the other members of our party

* * *

 _ **Robin**_

* * *

"Hey, Grayson?" I knocked on his room's door "It's lunch time so head over to the mess hall, yeah?"

"Huh? Okay, hold on. I'm coming" I heard some shuffling inside before the door opened revealing Grayson who, for some reason, had a much more relaxed expression than he had been wearing recently

"Well you seem relatively happier right now" I said as we walked to the mess

"Well, yeah, I guess. Anyway, I'll tell you two after lunch" we reached the mess, finding Lucina bringing in the platter of meat we had roasted

"By the gods!" Grayson exclaimed dramatically "Robin! How _dare_ you relegate such menial work to our fair princess!" Lucina rolled her eyes

"Yeah, whatever. At least he wasn't cooped up in his room acting like some sort of invalid" she deadpanned

"Ack!" he made a show of clutching his chest "Your words wound me, milady. I-" he was cut off by Lucina who smacked him upside the head

"Just shut up and eat" she said. He just rubbed his head

"So, Robin, I guess you're getting through to her. Either that or our Lucina's been replaced by an evil clone"

"Well, if it meant having to stay here with you, I think I'd prefer being replaced by an evil clone"

"Okay, hold on. I'm serious, where'd you learn that?" for some reason, he ACTUALLY looked CONCERNED.

"What? I'm not supposed to be capable of snide remarks?" she looked at us for affirmation

"Well… I guess so. It's just you're so serious most of the time, I'm just shocked you had it in you to be… snarky"

"Yeah, well, I have a sister. That sort of thing does stuff to you" she said. Intent on ending the conversation and getting to lunch. We ate in silence for a bit before Grayson asked

"Who is she?"

"Huh?"

Your sister? What's her name?"

"I don't see how that's important" she said, taking another bite of her food

"Hm. Fine" he dropped it

"So, anyway" Grayson spoke after confirming we were ready to listen "I came into contact with my sister with the comm tome. Apparently, she's in southwestern Valm with a mercenary outfit. Anyway, we talked, she's fine. Now, regarding the Shepherds: Lucina, when's the assassination plot against Emmeryn?"

"Uh, a little less than two weeks"

"Right. So, obviously, we have to prepare for that. Now, they're already in war now if Albireo's right but the Plegians aren't attacking in force yet. That gives the Ylisseans time for organizing their forces. Also, Albireo says he's restored and modified a ballista. He says he's fully reverse-engineered its basic configuration and has submitted it to the army"

"He can do that?" I asked

"Yeah. Apparently, both his parents were mechanics. Now since their front's been making advances, it's time we got to work ourselves. Especially physical magic"

"What's that?" Lucina asked

"Well, Stryker said that all people have _some_ level of magic energy. Apparently, with proper training- or sheer willpower- it can be harnessed to improve various aspects of physical ability"

"Wait, sheer willpower?"

"Right. One example would be- surprisingly- Chrom"

"Father can use magic?" Lucina said, shocked at hearing this

"Well, not that he knows it. Your bloodline derives its power from Naga giving you a large amount of magical energy by default. Now, for some reason, Chrom can't use Anima Magic but his blood and, like I said, sheer willpower, has vastly boosted his physical strength"

"And you know this, how?" I raised an eyebrow

"Well, Stryker feeds me some info on magic but the historical research is all thanks to Ferox lending us some Ylissean texts they apparently had for some time. Also, do you not see how high he- and you too, Lucina- jumps for that rolling slash?"

"So, you plan on training us to do the same"

"Well, not really. Stryker said he'll take an ethereal form to coach us" he groaned a bit

"All right, is he really THAT disagreeable?" I questioned

"Yeah, surely you're exaggerating" Lucina added

"Well, not really but he just really pisses me off" Grayson said frowning

"So anyway" he continued "We're not just enhancing physical strength. Apparently, I've been using it the whole time to boost my agility. In addition to that, we'll be some more stuff like heightening our senses and some other stuff like how to make literally no sound when running and landing from a fall"

"So, you plan on making us an elite unit of super-soldiers?" he just grinned

"Well, why not?"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 9**

* * *

 **A/N** Hey there. Me again. I'm late… AGAIN.

Anyway, I'm probably digging my hole deeper, what with this whole OP thing. If it means anything to you guys, I have some big plans in the future. I mean, COME ON. Do you really think I'd let only the protagonists take a level in badass? After all, the reason they're even allowed to be OP is because they'll be needing it.

So, anyway, if you're reading this, that means you've (probably) read through 9 chapters of this trash (heck, even if you just read ONE I'd be happy). So, yeah, thanks for reading. Leave a review if possible too. Thanks again! Bye!

-NS01 out-


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: "Hm… Bandits… Where have we seen this before?"**

* * *

 _ **Lon'qu**_

* * *

"Hey, Lon'qu, come on, Grayson says we got some training to do" Robin calls to me as I slashed another log

 _Clean in half. And it didn't even budge. Good._

"Hm. So the boy remembers I exist?" I asked with a small smirk. He just gave me a sheepish look

"Seriously?" I just groaned "Fine, I'm coming"

"Holy shit, I forgot about Lon'qu" Grayson sputtered as he saw us

"Yeah. Way to go, kid" I deadpanned. He threw his hands up

"Hey, to be fair, I haven't seen you since…"

"You locked up? Fine. I understand I never checked on you" he gave a sigh of relief

"So, what will we be practicing?" I inquired

"Well… An… acquaintance of mine is going to teach us about physical magic"

"So, you plan on making me a mage?"

"No. It's… Well, I'll let him explain. Hold on, I'll call him" he closed his eyes.

 _Hm. This guy must be crazy_

Suddenly, a second, almost blurry, image of Grayson appeared behind him

"Hey" it said. The first Grayson groaned

"Guys, this is Stryker. Stryker, why the fuck do you look like me?"

"I can take any form I like. Why? You got a problem?"

"Yes. It's bad enough you're in my head, I don't want you to go around looking like me. Next thing I know, you're telling everyone you ARE me"

"But I am…" Stryker said with a wide grin

"No. Just… No." Grayson replied unamused

"Hm, fine" he flickered for a while before showing that he was the same… But also different. His features were sharper, his hair was sleeker and spikier at once and his eyes…

His eyes were GLOWING green as opposed to Grayson's bright green orbs. However, his left eye… It was scarred and also, it contained no white- it was all black, save for the iris.

"Okay, what the fuck, dude?" Grayson looked almost horrified

"What? I just took your appearance and changed it up a bit and put in the edgiest additions possible: a scar over the eye and a black sclera. Now, it'll be IMPOSSIBLE to mistake me for you- my appearance is too unique!"

"Yeah, but why do you STILL have to base it on MY appearance"

"Eh. Don't know, don't care" he shrugged "So, Lon'qu, I believe you have some questions"

 _Understatement of the year_

* * *

 _ **Grace**_

* * *

"How far away are we?" I asked

"We're about half an hour out from Westwall" Ayer replied "It's just beyond this forest"

"Oh, okay then" I answered contentedly. Suddenly, a handful of civilians came into view, running for their lives

"Are you mercenaries? Please help us! Our town is being attacked by bandits!" the man at the front of their group asked as he came up to us

"Hold on, are you from Westwall?" Priam asked urgently "What about the town watch?"

"They were caught off-guard and were cornered as they covered our retreat. By now, they're probably surrounded. Please, save them!"

"Alright, leave it to us. Alright, then, come on!" he kicked his horse's side and sped off, the rest of us following

 _Damn it all, I hope that Wanderer's okay_

* * *

I'm guessing we made it in time since I can still hear fighting- as well as orders being barked like "Damn it, just finish them already!" and other stuff like "Get their fire mage first!" and "Aw, fuck! It burns!" (Those last two statements may or may not be connected)

"Right, let's go!" Priam dismounted from his horse and, after ensuring it wasn't gonna run off on him (because walking is no fun at all) headed into the fray, the rest of us in tow

We reached the town square in time to see quite a sight: Numerous charred remains lay all over the place while bandits kept coming toward a small group of five- and were almost immediately sent flying or cut down

Suddenly, I saw a bright, white-hot fireball descend from the sky and explode on another incoming group of bandits, covering them in flames and leaving them writhing and screaming in agony

"Wow… Do they even need our help?" Priam let out a chuckle

"Yes we do! We can't do this all day, you know!" One of them, a white-haired man in a tactician's cloak yelled back. I would've thought it was Robin if it weren't for the fact that his cloak had red markings, not purple

"If you say so" Priam answered, drawing Ragnell "Everyone, go!" Vick stayed behind the group, ready to defend against reinforcements. Matilda lagged. Ahead of Vick but behind the rest of us, she would be well-covered while she picked off the bandits with magic. Ayer had somehow made it to a rooftop and took potshots at whatever reinforcements were headed our way. That left Priam, Lucius and me.

Now, I don't know how well I would've done but the two of them got there before I did. And that meant that, between them and the town watch, there were just not enough bandits to go around.

 _Well. At least I tried to be helpful. Oh well._

I almost sheathed my sword when I heard Matilda call out

"Grace! Up on the roof! They got Ayer!"

I looked up just in time to see a man with an axe push Ayer off the roof before jumping down himself and cleaving the archer's body in two with his axe

"AYER!" I screamed in shock

 _How? Weren't we the good guys? Is this just because he was a minor character? DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!_

"Heh, heh. You're next, girlies. Oh, and you too, tin can" the bandit grinned savagely. I just looked at him blankly. He hardly noticed, though, because his attention was shifted to Vick who rushed at him with his poleaxe

As I watched them fight, I thought back to my time with Priam's company. Never once did I feel they were anything more than NPCs. Heck, even though I appreciated them, it was only as mere units. Why did it take someone's death for me to accept they were people too?

 _No more. I'm done with this. If I'm gonna fight alongside these people, then I would have to start treating them as real, living beings_

"Vick! Back up!" I called out, running toward their fight. He stepped back and I slashed at the bandit with a reverse grip. He just sidestepped it and readied his axe but a thrust from Vick's weapon forced him on the defensive.

Seizing the opportunity, I kicked at the bandit's legs. However, they hardly even gave in and he just swatted me aside.

"Grace!" Matilda rushed to my side and healed me up "It's not good. There's still more coming. Priam and the others are blocking them off from the square but they'll need more help"

"But Vick-"

"It's okay, I'll back him up. Now go!" I nodded begrudgingly and got up, heading off to meet the bandit offensive.

* * *

I met up with the town watch's cavalier with their (wounded mage) trying to block off a street

"Need help?" I offered. I didn't wait for an answer and rushed at the bandits, slashing in a wide arc with a reverse grip, hitting two bandits at once- but not quite killing them. The cavalier disposed of them quickly enough afterwards

"Thanks. We'll mop up here, now. Head to a bridge two blocks to the east. Our other companions are over there. They might need your help"

"Sure"

 _Their other companions, huh? I bet the Wanderer's one of them_

* * *

 _ **Satoshi**_

* * *

"Damn, when will backup get here?" I asked as I fired off another spell

"Not sure, either" our healer, Kya replied "Hold still, Ned" she said, holding out one hand and clutching her staff with another while the swordsman was enveloped in a green light

"Hey, thanks, Kya" he said before turning his attention back to the bandits. Another one charged in but was met by the tip of his sword as soon as he reached him. Then, one of Priam's companions- the gray-haired woman- arrived

 _Oh, great. A GIRL. Let's hope I don't mess up NOW in the middle of a battle_

"Hey, you guys need some help?" she asked

"Nah, we're doing just fine" Ned replied with a grin

"Don't listen to him. Any help would be appreciated" I said calmly

 _All right, me! I didn't stutter or otherwise make a fool of myself_

"Okay, then" and she ran off to engage the bandits

Man, I should tell you, this girl's a NINJA. She ducks, dives, jumps, rolls and flips all over the place, slashing at enemies at the same time. One of them got through her and got into her blind spot. Since this was probably the girl Stryker was talking about in his message, I decided to help her out

I pocketed my tome and grabbed my saw cleaver- straight outta Bloodborne- and slashed the bandit in two. Grace turned around and noticed the dead guy

"Oh, thanks. Nice save" she smiled

"Yeah, you too" she just looked at me blankly

…

 _DAMMIT!_

* * *

"Alright then, that's that" I said I said as I disposed of the last bandit "So, should we rendezvous at the square with the others?"

"Yeah, sure"

On the way back, she suddenly spoke "So… You must be a Wanderer"

"Huh? What gave it away?"

"That saw cleaver from Bloodborne" she pointed at the weapon strapped to my back

"Oh, right. Forgot about that"

"So, then, what's your name?" she looked at me expectantly

"Satoshi. Satoshi Aerial"

"Huh. You Japanese?"

"Half, actually. I'm Japanese from my mom's side and my dad's Canadian"

"Oh, okay then. So, I'm guessing you got a book when you got here" I nodded before taking it out of my pack and handing it to her, letting her read the message

 **Satoshi Aerial**

 **Welcome to Valm. Now, if you're gonna get sent to Fire Emblem Awakening, then why weren't you sent to Ylisse? No particular reason. I don't know, really, it's the boss's idea.**

 **So, anyway, since there are no Shepherds here yet, you'll have to meet up with Priam's army. You remember him, right?**

 **Oh, yeah, and show this to Grace. She's a Wanderer like you and should be with Priam by now. When you do, this book'll activate its communication feature, allowing you to contact all the other Wanderers regardless of location**

 **Just stick with them until the Ylisseans get there okay? You'll probably pick up some future children on the continent too.**

 **Well, that's all for now. Good luck not dying!**

 **-Stryker Gryphus**

She closed the book and gave it back to me

"Well then, greenie, welcome to not-a-fanfic!"

* * *

"I'm sorry for your loss" One of the villagers told Priam "He must've been a brave man"

"No… It's okay. He would've wanted to die rather than surrender anyway" Priam answered. I looked over to Grace and saw her previously light mood was replaced by a much darker one, her face wearing a sullen expression

"So, anyway. Captain Ned?" Priam addressed our leader

"Yeah?"

"Would it be okay for Satoshi here to join up with us?"

"Well, that would depend on Satoshi... Whaddya think, kid?" he asked me

"Well, okay. I mean, I have to, for reasons I can't disclose"

"Ha! Always one for secrets, aren't you? Fine, go ahead. Though I do admit you've been a great help" he clapped me on the shoulder

"Thank you, sir"

"Well, you lot had better get going. Wouldn't do for "The Radiant Hero's Legacy" to be late coming home, now would it?"

"You know?... Of course you do. Well, anyway, thanks, captain!" Priam said before walking off, prompting us to do the same

* * *

We stopped at a little grove in the forest to bury their archer- Ayer- properly. After our moment of silence, Priam spoke

"We've lost a good man but gained a new friend here. Welcome- at least for now unless you have other plans- Satoshi"

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

* * *

 **A/N** Yay! New chapter! And it didn't take me an eternity and a half

So so so so so sorry about this chapter. I admit, it's hardly my best work (though even if it were, it wouldn't be any better)

So, anyway, Satoshi was submitted by kaizero6

Now, if you were wondering how many OCs there are lined up, the answer would be: 11-13 total. Not counting new submissions. So, yeah. That's a lot. Not even including the minor characters like Priam's mercenaries or the town watch.

As for personal weapons, here's a list:

 **Robin:** Magic sword: "Dreadwing"

 **Reflet:** Multitype tome: "Grimoire"

 **Grayson:** Bifurcated sword: "Grayscale"

 **Grace:** Bifurcated sword: "Greyhound"

 **Albireo:** Clip-system crossbow: "Black Swan"

 **Marcus:** Twin axes: unnamed for now

 **Dylan:** Glaive (referred to as a lance): unnamed for now

 **Satoshi:** Fire tome: "Amaterasu"; Saw cleaver (straight outta Bloodborne): unnamed for now

So, yeah. OC-centric (although they won't replace the canon cast. Just upstage them by doing something else)

So, again, sorry if this chapter ain't up to par. I'll try to work better next time.

-NS01 out-


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: "Wanna hear a story about a guy's first date? No? Well TOO BAD cause I'm telling you anyway!"**

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

Surprisingly, we hadn't missed anything while we were at Themis, and we were there for a solid WEEK.

 _And here I was worried we might miss the assassination. What the hell kind of timeframe is everyone following?_

We had just arrived at the garrison when Lissa and Marcus immediately jumped me and Reflet

"HEEEY! ALBY! WE MISSED YOU!"

"REFLET! YOU'RE BACK!"

"Hey there, Lissa" Reflet cooly replied as Lissa smothered her

"GODDAMMIT MARCUS NO HUGS!" I cried as I desperately tried to escape his crushing arms, but to no avail

"STOP IT! YOU'RE ON THE FOOTBALL TEAM, MARCUS, GO HUG SOMEONE WHO'S NOT A SCRAWNY LITTLE NERD"

"Oh, right" he let go of me "Hehe, whoops. Guess I forgot to keep myself in check there, huh?" he said as he flexed his muscles

"Show off…" I muttered as I caught my breath

"So, is everyone done ignoring me here, or what?" Dylan said with a light chuckle

"Oh, that's right! Everyone, attention!" Lissa called (very loudly) to all the Shepherds in the room "This here is Dylan and he's gonna be joining us from now on!"

"Another one?" Sully asked "Though, sure, I guess we could use the guy. We'll need more manpower if we're gonna pull ourselves outta this muck"

"Oh, by the way, Albireo, Reflet, what did you guys do over there in Themis that you had to stay for an extra week?" Sumia asked

 _Oh, shit. Reflet, you had better not screw this up_

"Well, we helped Maribelle reorganize their defenses. She'll be staying-"

"They went on a date the very first thing after you guys went left" Dylan said flatly, shooting me an incredibly smug grin while everyone's eyes widened in… I don't know what, exactly.

 _Oh, Dylan, why hath thou betrayed me?_

"Alby-"

"NOT GUILTY!" I hastily shouted before even thinking. Well, I guess that's the end of me.

"Alby" Marcus started to speak a second time "Details. NOW."

 _Ugh. Fine._

* * *

 _The day after the encounter at Themis_

* * *

I stood at the end of the manor's dormitory wing, appreciating the place while waiting for Reflet

 _Damn, Maribelle, this place is huge. A whole wing for guests and such?_

"Hey, Reo!" I heard Reflet call and I turned to face her… Well, damn.

She was wearing a plain violet summer dress and had her hair tied back. I was genuinely surprised at how good she looked. I mean, I was expecting every girl in this world to be attractive (a hypothesis that has, so far, been true) but DAMN…

"Hey, Reo? You Awake?" she looked at me while I was probably gawking at her

 _Fuck._

"Huh? Of course, I am! So, anyway, Reo? That's new" I said

"What? You don't like it?"

 _Is that a pout? DAMMIT ARE THE GODS OF ROMCOM RUNNING THIS SHOW? Still, though, that's surprisingly cute for her._

"Well, I guess it's better than fuckin' Alby" I shrugged. Good job, Albireo, just keep up the banter and you might not make a fool of yourself.

"Yeah, I'd guess so" she giggled "So, anyway, like the dress? Maribelle gave it to me as a small thank you for yesterday"

"Huh. Never really figured you were into dresses and that sort of stuff" I mused. Suddenly, her stare grew much colder. MUCH much colder

"Albireo…" she spoke in a low, menacing tone "Are you saying that I do not appear feminine?"

 _Oh, fuck. So I'm stuck between an unrealistically pretty girl and the embodiment of all evil (which she, in fact, technically is). Dammit, pretty girl it is._

"What? Of course not! I was just surprised by how good you look"

 _Let's hope she takes the bait…_

Her expression softens and turns into a smile

"Aww, thanks! Gotta say, though, you look pretty good yourself"

 _Thank god I had the foresight to buy casual clothing when I bought my "in-world outfit" so to speak._

"Haha, thanks. So, anyway, should we get going?" I asked

"Sure!" and she grabbed my arm and dragged me all the way out. We passed by Dylan who just looked at us with a knowing smirk, giving me a thumbs-up.

* * *

Great, I'm going on a date(?) with pretty woman who, for some reason, is acting like she's in some high school romance anime. Either the gods of RomCom ARE a thing or I'm in a crappy ass fanfic.

 _Wait a minute…_

"Alright, it's almost noon. What do you say we stop for lunch?" Reflet asked

"Huh? Sure. I mean, I'm getting tired of lugging your bags around"

"Albireo, there's only one bag and it only contains three books"

"Aw, come on. Can't I just whine in peace?" she let out an exasperated sigh

"Ugh, come on, let's go get something to eat" she said, taking my arm (again!? This is too much! We're not even "together" together dammit) and dragging me off.

We stopped at a roadside café and sat down. While looking at our menus, I noticed Reflet constantly looking at something from the corner of her eye (no, I wasn't staring at her face… Honestly, I wasn't! On an unrelated note, it appears that her eyes are actually violet)

After placing our orders, we just sat there until Reflet spoke up

"Hey, Albireo?"

"Huh?"

"It's, uh… I- I'm sorry"

"Huh? For what?"

"For dragging you around and stuff"

"What?"

"Well, it's just I really had to pick these books up but I really didn't want to go alone. It's… I'm scared… I barely know who I am, how am I supposed to go out and face the world? But when I'm with Chrom and, most especially, you, I just… I feel more comfortable"

"Oh. Well, don't worry, I really don't mind. Honestly, I had quite a little fun myself. After all, it's not everyday I get to walk around town with a pretty girl on my arm" I said jokingly

"Oh, really? Whew, I guess it was worth the effort then"

"Effort? You mean… You literally went girlfriend-mode just to make sure I enjoyed this trip because you thought I wouldn't otherwise?"

"Uhh… I guess?" she said sheepishly

 _Clever girl…_

I just laughed it off "Wow, you really had me convinced there. Reflet, I swear, you just might have a future in theater. But seriously, you didn't have to trouble yourself on my account"

"Huh?"

"Look, we're friends" yep, draw the line before anyone gets any ideas "Even though you think differently, It just won't feel right if you went and deprived yourself or anything just for me. Just… Remember to save some happiness for yourself too, okay?" I asked. She just nodded before speaking

"So, with that aside, what were you checking over there?" I cocked my head to the side where I noticed here looking repeatedly

"Well…" She brought her face close to me "There's that guy sitting there that keeps looking at us" I looked in the direction she indicated and saw it: an elderly man pointing at us and giving orders to the staff

 _Oh shit, is this some sort of crime den? Are we in trouble? Seriously?_

The waiter left the man and headed up to us

"Um, excuse me, but the owner can't help but notice you two having yourselves a good time. You see, he has a soft spot for romance, especially young love, so he would like to offer you a free cake if you would accept"

I was just about to speak up when Reflet shot me a look that seemed to say:

 _Shut up. Free cake_

"Really? How nice of him" she smiled sweetly "We'll make sure to thank him later before we leave, okay?"

"Of course. Now, please, enjoy yourselves" he said with a slight bow and left. Reflet and I just looked at each other, our mental conversation easily amounting to:

 _FREE CAKE_

"Well, that was great" I said, leaning back into my chair

"Agreed. And the cake… I wasn't expecting them to give us a full-sized one. It's a wonder we were able to eat it all"

"Hey, fighting's hard work" I shrugged

"So, should we go now?"

"Not until I pay for our food and we thank the owner for the cake" I called for a waiter

"Hold on, who said you were paying?"

"Uh, I did. I got a bonus for the work on the ballistae so don't worry about it"

 _Lies. In truth, it's just that my coin pouch just refills itself everyday. Thanks, Stryker!_

"You get extra pay? Then go ahead! Oh, and, would you mind buying me stuff every now and then?"

"Huh? Oh sure. Just make sure you don't go too overboard"

"All right! Don't worry, I'll make it worth your while~"

"By god, are you flirting with me?"

"Huh? As if. I'd-"

"Excuse me, your bill" the waiter came

"Ah, excellent timing" I said as I shot Reflet a smirk who just stuck her tongue out in response. I took out the money for payment as well as a few silvers for the waiter who just bowed in thanks

"So anyway, I guess we'd better thank the gentleman who gave as a free cake"

We walked over to the man and he prompted us to sit down before speaking

"Now I'm sure you're both thinking that I can't have just given you two a full chocolate chiffon cake just because I enjoyed seeing young couples, yes" we both nodded, prompting him to continue

"Of course. Now the real reason is that you appear to be friends with my daughter, seeing as the lovely young lady here is wearing her dress

"Daughter? You mean-" of course, by the laws of fanfiction, my sentence was cut off at that SPECIFIC point

"Yes, I am Duke Marlon Themisia, father of Lady Maribelle Themisia. And that free dessert is but a small thank you for your help in the defense of my fair city"

"Oh. Well, thank you sir" I said with a slight bow, Reflet following suit

"Yes, yes. Now, run along, children" he waved us off, chuckling to himself

"Wait a second, Reflet" I suddenly realized something

"Huh? What is it?"

"Does the Duke of Themis seriously own a small café?"

* * *

 _Present day_

* * *

"No. Way. Reflet, did you really act all nice and sweet just to make him happy?" Lissa asked, wide-eyed

"Hah! Leave it to Little Miss Tactician here to make sure her plans go smoothly" Sully remarked

"Aw… Don't listen to them Reflet. I think it's really sweet of you to do that" Sumia reassured her

"Guys, it's not like that!" Reflet covered her face in embarrassment "Did you have to tell them EVERYTHING, Albireo?"

"Hey, I'm embarrassed too, you know!"

"Alright guys, that's enough. They'll never get anywhere if we keep making things awkward for them. Trust me, I've dealt with this before" Dylan tried to return a state of order

"OH SHUT UP, YOU GOT US INTO THIS MESS AND BESIDES, WE'RE NOT GETTING TOGETHER!"

"Not opposed" I raised my hand

"Not helping!" Reflet screamed at me

"Not sorry"

"I- Ugh!" she stormed straight out of the room, leaving us in stunned silence.

"Happy now?" I asked

"Hey, we're just-" Lissa tried to speak

"Easy. It's fine. Just… Next time, go easy, okay?" everyone nodded "Alright, I'll be in my room. Just leave her be unless it's urgent got it?"

"Yeah" Marcus said

"All right, see ya"

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

 _That was no fun at all…_

I'm a tactician, I shouldn't let my emotions get the best of me but between a hyperactive, loudmouthed Lissa, a snitching, wisecracking Dylan and a completely unhelpful and insufferable Albireo, I don't think that's possible.

 _Damn, that was stressful… I'll be needing some sleep…_

* * *

I awoke to Lissa's voice which, frankly, is one of the last things I would want to wake up to right now

"Reflet! Intruders in the palace! They're after Emm! Please, we need you!" she cried, panicking

 _Shit, they're inside!?_

"Hold on, I'm coming!" I quickly grabbed my coat and tome and ran out the door, following Lissa to where the fighting is presumably taking place. There honestly wasn't much of it, though. There were two exits to the courtyard where I presume the infiltrators were coming from, judging how Albireo and Robin (apparently, Grayson's unit is here too) were blocking them off with magic and arrows

"Reflet? Thank goodness, we'll need more cover fire while the others get here" Chrom said

"Yeah, and I'm running a bit low here" Albireo added

"Right, so where are they coming from?"

"There's an old catacomb system beneath the palace. Most entrances and exits are blocked off or collapsed but apparently they found one"

"Where are the other exits?"

"All over the palace but all of them are locked real good"

"Then how'd they use this one?"

"That would be my fault" a ginger-haired thief said

"Gaius here said he worked with the assassins but didn't know they were assassins. He says he's only a thief"

"Best in the business. I'm the only one they have capable of breaking your locks"

"Yeah. Though it seems you're not the only one capable of getting in" I pointed to a young man wearing a black and red coat holding two swords and with a spear strapped to his back

"Hey, I know that guy" Albireo remarked before firing another arrow at the intruders "Curtis!?" he called out to the man

"Albireo?" he called back

"MARCUS!" Marcus suddenly burst into the scene "The squad's all together now, YEAH!

"Yeah…" Albireo said flatly, firing another arrow. Curtis just stayed silent

* * *

 **End of Chapter 11**

* * *

 **A/N** YAAAAAAAAAY I FINALLY GOT BACK TO PLOT! Kinda… At the very end of the chapter… And the battle hasn't even begun… Man I gotta get my shit together.

Anyway, the new guy is Curtis Nakamura. As opposed to Satoshi whose father is Canadian and whose mother is Japanese, Curtis's dad is Japanese while his mom is American. Now, obviously, he studies in the same college as Albireo and Marcus and is the last of their little group.

Now, I apologize for this chapter, if not for the quality, then for the content. I figured unless I showed Albireo and Reflet's little "date" then it'll come back to bite me in the backside. However, note that they are NOT yet together. Seriously, it's just been 11 chapters.

Anyways, please leave a review. See you next time!

-NS01 out-


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: "I know, let's jump off a FLYING HORSE! Come on! It's a great idea!"**

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

I swear to Naga, the palace guards are gonna get an earful tomorrow.

Not only did a group of Plegian (I don't really know who they are, actually but I'm pretty sure they're Plegian) assassins break in, but also Grayson's group of four, Albireo's friend and, this just in, a Taguel. Oh, and did I mention that if it weren't for the (admittedly relatively skewed) morals of one of the assassins (though he says he's just a thief), then those Plegians (I don't care what anybody else says, THEY'RE OBVIOUSLY PLEGIAN) would've been all over the palace.

Thankfully, that's not the case and they're stuck in the courtyard, with the only two entrances being blocked off by Robin and Reflet's magic. However, they're doing the same thing so we won't be able to go in, either.

As if sensing my thoughts, Grayson ran up to me "Chrom, are the Pegasus Knights available?"

"Huh? I'd assume they're mostly still asleep but Phila should be able to call them to arms"

"Great, get someone to contact her. We'll need four or five fliers."

"Right" I called to one of the UTTERLY USELESS castle guards (don't tell them I said that though) "You, call Wing Commander Phila, tell her to bring along four of her best knights and report to me immediately" I clapped him on the shoulder "Go!" and he ran off.

* * *

Within minutes, he's back along with Phila's squad of five.

"All right, we've got Plegians in the courtyard. Now, I had you called here because Grayson here has a plan" I nodded my head to Grayson who spoke

"Alright, it's simple: You guys take me and four others and drop us off in their formation. We should be able to scatter them, paving the way for a frontal assault" he finished

"Are you crazy!?" Phila protested "If we try to land our pegasi there, we'll get decimated!"

"Woman, what part of 'drop' do you not understand!?"

"Wow, now you're sounding even crazier than before. Still, it might actually work. All right, come on" she led the Pegasus Knights away to ready their mounts while we stayed behind for last-minute instructions

"All right, my team will be the drop squad. Once I call for the signal, you guys storm the front, got it?"

"Yeah but one question: There's only four of us. Who's the fifth man?" Robin asked

"Obviously me" I declared "Now come on, let's get going"

* * *

As we ran off to meet the Pegasus Knights, the four members of Grayson's team whispered among themselves, obviously not wanting me to hear it. However, it seemed obvious that Marth is liking what they're talking about and that rarely ever happens so I guess there's that…

We met the Pegasus Knights outside, all saddled up and ready to go. Grayson insisted on riding with the lead flier so he went with Phila, who almost protested before I told her that Grayson would be the leader for this operation. So that left us to fly with the other knights. I ran up to a red-haired flier who I recognized as Cordelia and got on her mount

"Oh, hey there, Cordelia" I greeted casually

"Oh! H-hello, Prince Chrom" she said, voice shaking for some reason

"What's the problem? You nervous?" I asked, placing my hand on her shoulder causing her to yelp in surprise

 _Damn, this woman is jumpy_

"S-something like that, m-milord" I looked around and noticed the other knights looking at us intently. Even Phila gave us a knowing look

"A-anyway, milord" Cordelia gulped "P-please h-hold on"

"Oh, of course" I put my hands on her waist causing her to stiffen up noticeably before she spurred her mount into flight

* * *

Within a minute, we were nearing the courtyard

"All right, fliers" Grayson barked over the howl of the wind "Try to fly as low as possible but still over the buildings! Now, Chrom, you drop in last! Cordelia I presume?" Cordelia barked out a quick "Yes, sir!"

"Wait around ten seconds after our drop! We'll try to prep the LZ for our dashing prince over here" he spoke the last few words as if they were directed at Cordelia, not me

"All right, let's do this!" the formation of fliers swooped in, barely clearing the palace roof. As we passed over the courtyard, Grayson, Robin, Marth and their new ally, Lon'qu dropped on the unsuspecting Plegians. As per her orders, Cordelia waited ten seconds, circling around before making another pass

"Alright, this is my stop" I let out a chuckle

"G-good luck, sir" she replied and I dropped off into the fray. That was also the moment that Grayson gave the order for a frontal assault.

Apparently, most of the Shepherds had already arrived (Actually, I didn't really check for each one of them. I just saw Vaike and assumed that if he was there, then everybody was already present by then. It usually works that way). Grayson's team had done a pretty good job disrupting their formation but had suffered some considerable magic damage so they had to pull back

Grayson looked back at me as he retreated and gave me a thumbs-up before walking back into the palace

 _Don't worry, you've done your part. Leave this to us._

* * *

Honestly, it wasn't much of a fight.

Most of these guys were apparently mages. No wonder Grayson's unit had been overwhelmed. That also explains why they can't mount a frontal assault like we do. However, up close, their magic was no match for our swords and spears. Still, though, while it was certainly taxing, it was pretty easy

Mostly.

Then their leader (or at least I think he is. He looks especially sinister to me) walks in. Frederick tries to charge him but his horse is tripped over by an unseen force, pinning him down. The same goes for Sully and Stahl. Albireo, Reflet, Miriel and Virion try to barrage him but all their projectiles are stopped by some invisible barrier. Kellam and Vaike try attacking him head-on but Kellam is too slow and Vaike, too reckless. He easily slips between their attacks and, seeing an opening, hit them each with a sphere of dark magic.

"Well, well, well. Look at your Shepherds- all defeated by a single man. Come, princeling, you're next" he said tauntingly. I know I shouldn't have charged but I had no other option.

At the very least, I was able to keep myself from getting hit with that dark magic of his. Every time he was poised to strike, I already had a maneuver readied. The trouble is, so did he.

However, I'm beginning to tire. As much of a pushover as the other assassins were, it was still tiring. Meanwhile, my opponent only kept dodging and dancing around my strikes, the amusement in his eyes growing with every strike I missed.

Suddenly, we were interrupted by a thud- the sound only giving him barely enough time as a spear pierced the air where his head had been.

Cordelia stood there, gripping her spear. The nervous, shaking knight from before now replaced with the very image of skill and determination

"Milord" she said coolly "Let's take him together. One on each side" and with that, she thrust again with her spear while I rolled forward to get behind him, slashing as I stood up.

As if brought on by the arrival of an ally, my body grew energized, each strike giving me more energy instead of exhausting it. Meanwhile, Cordelia unleashed a relentless assault, her strikes so well-timed and perfectly paced that our opponent could not possibly hope to dodge both of our strikes

Bleeding from his multitude of cuts, our opponent spoke "Impossible… This-" he never got to finish his sentence as my sword pierced his chest, at the same time, his stomach was impaled by Cordelia's lance from behind

"Hah… Cordelia" I panted, suddenly exhausted as the adrenaline left me "That was incredible"

Her face matched the color of her hair "Milord, you really think so!?" she said, unbelieving

"Yes… Now… Would you kindly fetch my sister for me?" I said as I dropped to the floor, sprawled out in exhaustion

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

Although we had left the battle earlier than we'd like, our little airborne mission had gone successfully.

Now, the reason I was so eager to drop from the air without a parachute is because of something Stryker had taught us about physical magic: it can also cushion falls.

Also, in addition to our successful assault, we had also succeeded in flustering Cordelia

 _Hehehe… For such a strong and pretty woman, she sure is hopeless when it comes to Chrom. Shame we can't ship them together…_

 _Well, whoever it is we ship with Chrom- though given that Lucina has access to the Peg Knight pseudo-class and has a sister, there's only one real option- we had better get the same amount of entertainment. Hm… Elaborate pie tricks, perhaps?_

"Hey there, Grayson" Albireo walked up to me as I sat in the corner. He was accompanied by two men about his age. One with Asian features and the other with dark skin.

"Hey" I replied "So, these your friends?" he nodded before the black man (I know he's a teenager but DAMN he's manly) spoke

"Hey there, nice to finally meet you in person. I'm Marcus" he offered me his hand which I firmly shook. Turning my attention to the Asian dude, I asked

"And you?"

"I'm Curtis" he answered simply

"Not one for words, huh, Curtis? Anyway, when'd you arrive in Ylisse?"

"Just this morning" I was honestly surprised

"You just came this morning and were already able to fight!?"

"To be honest, I didn't do much in there. But yeah, I'm about as combat-ready as any college student can be. Well, in a fantasy world at least"

"Ha!" Albireo patted him on the back "Remind you of someone?"

"Well, yeah, I guess"

"Huh?" Curtis questioned

"See, Grayson here pulled off some sick ninja tricks in our first battle together"

"Just because I'm half-Japanese does not mean you have to use the term 'sick ninja tricks'"

"Yeah, I know but this guy really did pull some cool shit. Backflips, spinning kicks, all sorts of shit. Basically you if you didn't have the sense not to try anything stupid in the middle of a fight"

"I see. So, was he trained in any way?"

"Well, I'm in- or at least, was in- the Air Force Academy but I'm not sure if that counts"

"So you don't have any actual combat training?" I nodded "Well, damn, I guess we got a contender for you! Curtis here has received some legit ninja training"

"Honestly, does everything I do relate to ninjas? And no, I did not receive ninja training. In fact, I'm only technically officially trained"

"What do you mean?"

"Every summer, my father brings me to Japan where we stay with my grandfather. While I'm there, he hires a private instructor to teach me martial arts, specifically those involving weapons"

"So, what have you trained in?"

"I've received partial training in Sojutsu, Naginatajutsu, Kendo, Nitojutsu and Iaido but due to limited time, I only got the basics down"

"That many!?"

"Yeah, but like I said, limited time, limited capability"

"So, that means you mostly improvised during the fight?"

"Well, yes"

"Dude, that's even better! A more varied style is more unpredictable and harder to counter since it does not fit within any individual technique's guidelines"

"But my limited training-"

"Dude, I had ZERO training and I managed to impress Albireo here. Think of what you can do with THAT kind of training, even if it were limited" he thought on my words before replying

"Alright, I guess" I nodded, satisfied "So anyway, what have you guys been up to?"

"Eh, not much really" Albireo shrugged before Marcus slung an arm over his shoulder

"Li'l Alby's all grown up now! He just had his first date!"

"Dude, what!? Details! DETAILS DAMMIT!" I stood up and grabbed the hem of his shirt and shook him violently until he ceded

"Alright! Just stop shaking me!"

"Hahaha! Sounds to me like someone's whipped!"

"I am NOT whipped!" he protests vehemently before Reflet suddenly comes up to us and towel whips him with a handkerchief causing us to burst in laughter

"Reflet!"

 _Oh my god Reflet, you're amazing_

"Sorry! I just heard someone call my name. Then I heard something about whipping and I went right for it"

"Yeah, but why on me!?"

"I don't know" she shrugs "It's just something about you and whipping that makes perfect sense" she said

 _And the mic drops_

Marcus and I fell to the floor laughing while Curtis tries (and fails) to not double over in laughter. Albireo just covers his face in shame

"Ugh. Somebody kill me already"

"Oh? Well, okay then" Reflet speaks "Albireo Masters, you are hereby sentenced to…" she pauses, waiting for Marcus, Curtis and me to give her our full attention

 _Oh shit, dis gun be gud_

"One hundred lashes!" and she began animatedly whipping Albireo, complete with whipping noises.

At this point, we just lost it

* * *

"Leaving already?" Chrom asks me

"Yeah. I really have to catch up to the two of them"

"Alright. Anyway, thanks for the help. Though, are you sure about leaving Lon'qu with us? It seems like you'll really need someone of his skill"

"Don't worry about it, I have a feeling you'll need him more than we will" I said before turning to the other Wanderers

"Alright gotta go. Nice catching up Albireo. And nice to meet you Marcus, Curtis, Dylan" I regarded them in turn before continuing "Oh, and Marcus?"

"Yeah?"

 _Alright, let's do this. Stryker, take over_

 _ **Dude, NOW you like me?**_

 _Now, I TOLERATE you. Maybe after you do this, THEN I'll like you_

 _ **Hm. Fine. So, I scare him off?**_

 _Yep. Though, try to make it look like ME instead of you_

 _ **All right then**_

I took the backseat while Stryker took control. There must've been some visible physical change since Marcus flinched before Stryker did anything. Then, in a low, absolutely murderous tone, he spoke

"Come anywhere near Grace and I'll send your family on a treasure hunt for your body parts" he gulped

"Y-yes, of c-course"

"Yes what!?" Stryker barked

"Y-yes sir!" Marcus said, complete with salute. Behind him, the other Wanderers snickered

 _Oh my god, Stryker, that was brilliant. Switch out now_

I regained control and smirked at Marcus before leaving, vanishing into the halls of the palace

 _Damn, Stryker, I'll admit, I'm starting to like you better now_

 _ **Haha, anything for you**_

…

 _Dude, are you gay?_

I felt a subliminal slap to the back of the head

 _ **Shut up**_

* * *

 **End of Chapter 12**

* * *

 **A/N** And so, the train wreck that is this story continues. (That statement makes no sense. How can a train wreck keep moving?)

Anyway, first topic, what did Grayson mean by Lucina's parentage? Now, it's glaringly obvious to anyone familiar with her maternal inheritance and possible siblings. Out of four possible S-supports (barring Robin), three give Lucina access to the peg knight class and two give her a sister. Now only one name overlaps both of these lists (and do I really have to tell you?)

Well, that's that… If you have any thoughts on this rubbish heap of a chapter, by all means, please share.

So long and have a nice day!

-NS01 out-


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: "Yay! More boring conversations! Seriously, dude, this game's supposed to be about war and shit. Oh, right. It's more about the ship wars than the actual wars"**

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

Okay, so I somehow have four new Shepherds after last night's battle since Grayson decided to leave his swordsman companion, Lon'qu, with us. As much as I appreciate it, I can't help but feel that our little group is getting a bit crowded. Oh, well… I just hope they're adjusting well.

As I walk into the mess hall, I scanned the area. Of our four new members, I only saw Curtis, sitting with Albireo and Marcus who are engaged in a lively discussion while he just looked at them blankly eating his pancakes.

"Um, guys?" I called everyone's attention "Where's Lon'qu, Panne and Gaius?"

"I came across Lon'qu in the practice grounds, milord. He seems very eager to master his craft. As YOU ALL SHOULD BE" Frederick directed that last part to everyone. No one listened. He just sighed in defeat before continuing "Panne is out in the forests and Gaius-" he stopped mid-sentence as the ginger-haired thief walked out of the kitchen carrying two plates stacked high with pancakes

"Aw, sweet! Sevenths!" Stahl rejoiced. Everyone just groaned at that

"*sigh* Gaius, is that ALL for Stahl?"

"Hm? Well, yeah, but you can have one if you like, Blue" he extended a plate towards me and I decided to take one.

Man, let me tell you that that pancake was _good_

"So, Blue, what do you think?" I wiped my mouth and answered

"Honestly, it's great. But please. Don't call me 'Blue'" he just chuckled

"No promises" and he went to deliver the two _ungodly_ stacks of pancakes to a waiting Stahl who proceeded to… Oh gods… That's just… Guys… I can't… Nope, that's just too much for me to handle.

I headed over to Reflet who was sitting with Lissa, Maribelle and Sumia who were eagerly talking about something until they spotted me at which point, they stopped

"Good morning, lord Chrom"

"Hello, Captain!"

"Hi Chrom!"

"Hey" they all greeted me at once

"Hey there. Reflet, we've got new orders"

"Chrooom! You can't just walk up to a girl and be all like 'We have new orders'. You'll never steal Reflet's heart with that attitude!" Reflet, for some reason, blushed at the statement

"Lissa, it's obviously not like that" I said coolly before glancing at Reflet who gave me a thankful smile

 _Oh, Reflet, do NOT underestimate me_

"Besides, doesn't she already have Albireo?" I finished with a smirk. Reflet's smile gradually turned into a look of utter embarrassment. Meanwhile, Lissa beamed

"Oh right! AAALBYYY! Come over here for a while!" She made towards Albireo but her early warning gave him a head start

"You'll never take me alive, woman!" he yelled as he bolted out of the room followed by Curtis and Marcus, who I dearly hoped would cover for him. I honestly wouldn't want to wish the hell that is Lissa's screaming upon anyone

"Yeaaah… Anyway, Reflet, we'll be escorting Emmeryn to the Eastern Palace tomorrow. I plan on bringing everyone along"

"Hm? So the assassination attempt made you realize that the capital isn't safe anymore so you've decided to move her?"

"Pretty much. Only the members of house Ylisse and its close friends know about it so I can't just bring any regular troops except us and Emmeryn's personal Pegasus Knight guard"

"So we'll need every able fighter we can get… Alright, let's hold a briefing later"

"Right" I replied "Anyway, see you later. I still have some things to discuss with Frederick" she nodded and I left

* * *

 _ **Curtis**_

* * *

Wow…

So right now, we're hiding in a thicket a few yards away from the perimeter of the camp.

 _How did we get in this postion? Oh, right… Lissa_

Seriously, I don't care how nice or adorable she is. That girl is way too fucking loud. People like that are the reason I hate being in a group (although I don't know how I can stand Marcus. I guess he just knows enough to leave me alone)

"Marcus, take a look, see if she's on to us" Albireo whispered

"Got it"

"Anything?"

"Nah… Wait, hold on… It's Frederick!"

"Shit, do you think he's helping Lissa?"

"Not sure. Honestly, it could go either way with him"

"Let's just go" I spoke up. They both looked at me incredulously

"Dude, are you crazy!?"

"Guys, look at us. We're hiding in a bush from a little girl at least three years younger than us. Doesn't that sound stupid to you two?"

 _Yeah, way to go back on your words, Curtis. Still, between looking like a damned idiot and getting yelled at by a kid, I'd rather have the kid. I can tune out noise but not stupidity._

"But-" I didn't let Albireo finish as I stood up and emerged from the bushes. Frederick called to me as I approached him

"Ah, Curtis. Excellent timing. Lord Chrom has called for a meeting in ten minutes at the main hall"

"I'll be there" I replied. He nodded, satisfied and walked off. I signaled the two idiots in the bush to come out

"See? I told you it was stupid"

* * *

"Alright here's the deal. We'll be escorting Emmeryn to the Eastern Palace here" Chrom pointed to a small cluster of mountains to the northeast "Now, the other kingdoms don't know about it and neither do the regular forces. That's why we'll all be going on this mission. We have to bolster Emmeryn's personal guard with as many men as we can. Albireo-" he looked at the blond who regarded him with a nod "Can you get your ballista mobile?"

"I'll think of something"

"Right. Our formation will have Frederick in the lead with Sully and Stahl on either side of the convoy. Maribelle will ride alongside the wagons. The rest of us will foot it behind them" he stopped for a moment regarding each of us

"Well, that's that. Reflet will give additional instructions when needed. Dismissed" the Shepherds filed out of the room, leaving Chrom and Reflet to go over the plan again. A thought then came to my head and…

"Guys"

"Huh? What is it Curtis?"

"You two go on ahead. I have some stuff I want to talk about with Chrom and Reflet over here"

Albireo raised an eyebrow in suspicion but Marcus just spoke "Nah, man, it's cool. See ya later then"

"Yeah. See ya" and the two walked out of the room leaving me with Chrom and Reflet. They noticed this and Chrom spoke up

"Curtis? What is it?"

"Captain…" I approached him "Please… Tell me what you think of the four of us…"

"Hm? Four? Aren't there only three of you?"

"No, you blockhead, he meant the Wanderers. You forgot Dylan, didn't you?" Reflet chided

"Oh, right. Sorry, it's just you're always with Albireo and Marcus, it's hard to associate you with anyone else"

"Right… So, anyway-"

"What do I think, huh? Well, it's a lot to put to words but I'll try. Reflet, mind helping me?"

"Not at all"

"Right. So first, let's start with Albireo" he paused before continuing

"He's a good man. Always reliable and keeps a cool head. He's only been with us for a few months but I've already pretty much established him as our secondary tactician, next to Reflet. Of course, she has a much more positive view on him"

"Well, as good a person as he is, he still has some glaring flaws" Reflet added "As cool-headed as he may appear to be, Chrom, that's because his attention is rarely on the problem at hand. He always seems to be looking for a solution for a different problem. The thing is that he thinks he's still on the same problem but approaching it from another angle. I often find myself having to rework my strategies just to accommodate for his and let me tell you, Chrom, it usually ends very close" she said with a hint of disapproval

"Right, I'll keep that in mind. Next would be Marcus. I really can't say much about the guy except that he's really energetic but still manages to keep calm when it's needed. I just wish he'd take things more seriously"

 _Of course… After all that's been said and done, he still acts like this is a game. Good thing his instinct for self-preservation still manages to reign him in…_

I suddenly thought back to Grayson and his over-eagerness to pull a move that would very likely have KILLED him

 _Marcus, you had better not end up like him…_

"What's the matter?" Chrom asked

"Oh, nothing" I lied

"Hm. You're thinking about Grayson, aren't you?" Reflet said, more of a statement rather than a question

"H-how did you know that!?"

"Well, Chrom had just finished talking about Marcus and noticed that what he said mostly applies to Grayson. There is one thing that separates them though…" she trailed off as if to let me finish

"Grayson's lost all sense of self-preservation"

"Exactly. And you're hoping that Marcus doesn't eventually turn out that way"

 _Heh. Clever Girl…_

"Well, I'm impressed, you got everything right"

"Well, what can I say? It's the job of a tactician to always think ahead. So anyway, we were about to talk about Dylan now, right?"

"Right" Chrom affirmed "Although, can't say I know the guy"

"Well, I do. From our time back in Themis, I think I've gathered a bit about him" Reflet stated "Back then, he always used to crack little jokes at our expense but I know it was only to lighten the mood while we worked. I'm pretty sure the man's a natural problem-solver, both when it comes to work and to people"

"I see. Anyway, thanks for the insight, I'll be going now" I said as I made ready to leave

"Oh? And I thought you would like to hear what we think about you…" Reflet stopped me, I let out a light chuckle

"I'd hate to have to make you do that. I only arrived last night so I can't expect you to make something up"

"Well, what we saw from you today is more than enough"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, obviously, you're not the type to go out and socialize much although I can tell you'd really love to, you just get overwhelmed sometimes. That makes you want to work hard when no one else can. That way, you can help everyone else without them interfering in your work process"

I stood in stunned silence, wondering how well Reflet read me

"Furthermore, the fact that you came to us to ask about your fellow Wanderers… Well, it's obvious that you care about them, though you'd prefer not to show them since who knows how they'll react. Suffice it to say, you're clearly a good person. Albireo is fortunate to have a friend like you" She finished with a smile

A few seconds of silence later, I spoke

"Reflet…"

"Yes?" she tilted her head

"…You make me sound like an older brother" at that statement, she laughed

"Hey, stop it, Reflet" Chrom chided "You seriously want to tease your future brother-in-law?"

 _Aaand now she's blushing. Great work using her own words against her, Chrom! Who knew you were actually capable of outwitting our tactician._

 _Wait... If she is actually affected by that kind of statement…_

Excuse me while I go plotting in my room

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

"Reflet…" I spoke as Curtis left the room "Did you really mean all of that?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, of course"

"But are you certain? You did, just meet last night and-"

"Chrom" she said firmly "How, exactly, did we meet?" I could feel the weight of her stare on me

"I- uh… Picked you up at a field…"

"And how did I introduce myself?" she raised an eyebrow

 _Sheesh, this woman's pushy_

"You didn't know who you are and what you came from"

"Right. Now tell me, why did you take me in?"

"Well. I just had this feeling-"

"EXACTLY! Now the situation is different now but it's all the same: when it comes to people, you'll be better off trusting your feelings rather than thinking about them. You should know that. I DID get it from you" she smiled at that last part

"Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right"

"I'd hope so. It IS my job to be right" she joked

"Ha! Right as always" she laughed at that bit "I just said 'right' again, huh?" I asked embarrassedly

"Yes… Yes you did"

"Oh, well. Anyway, I'm heading for the palace now. I gotta brief Phila's squad as well as Emmeryn"

"Yeah. You do that"

"So, I guess I'll see you then" I said as I left the room

"Sure. See you tomorrow" Reflet said behind me

* * *

"Alright, any questions?" I asked Phila and her Pegasus Knights. They all shook their heads "All right, then. Dismissed" I said with finality. They all filed out of the room except Sumia who was fidgeting nervously

"Sumia? What's the matter?"

"Oh! C-captain. I- I, uh…"

"Yes?"

"I would like to spar with you, if possible" she said sheepishly

"Oh? Well, I'd be happy to help but don't you have anyone else from the Pegasus Knights to spar with? Cordelia, for example"

"W-well… It's just… I'd really hate to cut into their time. I'd hate if they waste it trying to teach me stuff I should already know. Gods know Captain Phila already has her hands full with all the actual members of the Pegasus Knights but still, she always tries to teach me whenever she gets the chance… I just-" she gripped her spear firmly "I just want to show them how much I want to be like them! I appreciate you taking me into the Shepherds when I failed the Pegasus Knight qualifying course, as well as Phila tutoring me so I can eventually pass it, but I can't just rely on your charity. I want to make it into the Pegasus Knights on account of my own effort, not just your training" she said, determination in her eyes.

"Heh" I chuckled "If only Phila could hear this, she'd be proud… Well, anyway, sure, I'll be your sparring partner. Come on, let's head to the training grounds"

* * *

"Alright, so, you wanna jump right into sparring?" I asked. Sumia nodded and assumed a ready stance

"Let's do this, captain" she said and she quickly rushed me with her practice lance. I sidestepped her first thrust at my chest but she shifted her grip and swung the butt of her lance at me. With that kind of leverage, all I could do was block her strike.

 _Impressive… She's surprisingly strong for someone of her size... Alright, I guess I can hold back a little less now_

I shoved her weapon off me. Instead of standing her ground, Sumia backed off and, not losing momentum, deftly turned and swung her lance in a wide arc. A good maneuver, sure, but easy to overextend. I stepped back to dodge her attack and, seeing the opening presented as her entire form shifted to her left, I charged her from my left, effectively being putting me behind her, and tapped her neck with my practice sword, making her flinch… And suddenly, her overextended stance made her fall flat on her face…

 _Wow… This always happens to her_

"Hey, Sumia. You okay?" I offered her a hand, helping her up

"Y-yeah… Sorry about that, captain"

"About what? That was a good maneuver you pulled there, you just happened to overextend a bit"

"Yeah, but still. Cordelia always manages to pull it off, why can't I?"

"Hmm… You're trying to imitate Cordelia?" she nodded "I hope you don't mind my asking, but why?"

"W-well, it's just… She's so strong, and confident… If I could be like her, then I'll definitely be able to join the Pegasus Knights…"

"That's rubbish" her eyes widened at that statement "Look, Sumia, the fact that you're willing to do whatever it takes just to better yourself is enough. You'll get there. And you don't have to do it anyone's way but yours. Believe in yourself, Sumia, just like I believe in you" I put a hand on her shoulder to reassure her

"Oh, captain, I-" she sniffed "Thank you!" she hugged me tightly

"Anytime, Sumia" and she let go, tearfully smiling

"Heehee. I can see why Cordelia-" she stopped mid-sentence "Oh, never mind! So, anyway, captain, can we spar some more?"

"Hah, it'll be my pleasure"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 13**

* * *

 **A/N** HEEEY! I'M NOT DEAD! WOOHOO!

Anyway, guys, SO SO SO sorry about the long wait (lol, as if anyone's waiting around for this rubbish). It's just some school stuff got in the way and, knowing how lazy I naturally am, I just couldn't get ANYTHING done. Basically, I rushed this just to remind you guys that I am NOT letting this fic die. Or I might, seeing as it's mostly crap. I probably won't, though. I only write this shit to pass the time, not like I'm trying to achieve anything.

Also, I checked my previous chapters and decided they were definitely subpar so I'm starting work on some edits. Nothing big, I'll keep the content but I'll change the presentation. You know, I'll try to make the story look less bland if possible. It's not really a major project so if you don't mind this piece of shit being… well… shit, then you don't have to re-read the whole thing. I'm gonna post the edits at the same time I post new chapters so it doesn't get marked as updated when I do.

Anyway, the first part of this project was to replace ALL the chapter names. The previous chapter name format is unsustainable in the long run (bitch, I ran out of chapter names last chapter) so I decided to change it.

Expect an edited Chapter 1 about… I don't know when, really…

So, as usual, please leave a review. Bye!

-NS01 out-


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: "Dude, we're facing DRAGONS!? Ten-foot-long, flesh-eating, fire-breathing monstrous reptilian bringers of death!? Meh, why not?"**

* * *

 _ **Dylan**_

* * *

"Alright, last-minute briefings, guys" Albireo announced to the room- his room- containing us four Wanderers. Apparently, he's the de facto leader of our little subgroup. Not that we mind- or care.

"So, you guys know about the Plegian Wyvern Riders who're about to intercept us on the way, yeah?" everyone nodded "Good. Just remember to keep your eyes peeled. Also, be sure to look out for the hierarch who's coming with us"

"Excuse me" Marcus's hand shot up "Hierarch?"

"The old guy who told the Plegians about the Easten Palace" I reminded him

"Oh, right"

"Soo… Old man Littlefinger?" he asked

"Nope. He's nowhere near as smart as Littlefinger… Or alive… Well, for now he is but, you know." I shrugged

"Right. Where was I? Oh, right, I converted one of our wagons into a ballista carrier" Albireo said "I had them add a wooden frame and a topside deck to carry my ballista"

"Dude, where do you get all that authority?" I questioned him

"Well, Chrom made me Deputy Tactician so-"

"Whoa, hold on, 'Deputy Tactician'? So, you're Reflet's assistant?" Marcus added

"Well, yeah, I guess"

"Damn, kid" I started "We already knew you were whipped, you didn't have to go and make it official!" Marcus burst into laughter and even Curtis let out a little laugh. Meanwhile, Albireo covered his face in annoyance

"Damn it, Dylan, you already put me into this hole, can you PLEASE not bury me deeper?"

"Haha, nope! It's my duty as a single male to make fun of your lovelife! Isn't that right, Marcus?"

"Oh, yeah!" and the two of us high-fived each other across the table

"Hmph. I can see why you're both single" Curtis mumbled. Marcus and I were rendered speechless by that statement.

 _Damn… It's always the quiet ones who you should look out for. This guy's dangerous._

"He, thanks, ma-"

"Shut up, lover boy" he cut him off, completely straight-faced. Albireo visibly blushed at that statement, finally causing Curtis to grin menacingly

 _DAAAMN. Forget 'dangerous' this guy's fucking scary! And we hadn't even given him material to work with_

"All right, I'll stop now" he said, returning to his normal, blank expression "Come on, Albireo. Anything else?" he asked

"Oh, uh, right. So, anyway, there's that. One last thing, and this is pretty big: Should we try to convince Emmeryn not to go back to Ylisstol to get kidnapped" The room was silenced by this statement

"Oh boy, things are getting pretty heavy now" Marcus finally said. I nodded in agreement

"Hold on, shouldn't we try to follow the game's normal story? I mean, all things considered, that set of events leads to the best outcome we know of and if we try to change anything, then we'll lose our one advantage which is foreknowledge" Curtis said. The four of us considered his statement until I spoke up

"That's a valid point, I admit. However, Didn't Grayson tell us what Stryker told him one time?" I asked, referring to his last message in our comm tomes:

* * *

 **Grayson: Hey, guys**

 **Grace: Hey, Grayson**

 **Albireo: How's it going?**

 **Grayson: Pretty good. Listen, guys, I'm gonna go dark for a little while. I've got something to do down in Plegia**

 **Marcus: Cool, what is it? Something to do with the war?**

 **Grayson: Well, yes and no. I can't really give details, sorry.**

 **Satoshi: That's okay, we get it**

 **Dylan: So, anyway, why'd you call? Or write, whatever.**

 **Grayson: Well, nothing much. Just had something to say before I go: This ain't a story anymore.**

 **Marcus: Aaand?**

 **Dylan: I think we've pretty much established that by now**

 **Grayson: Yeah but I'm telling you: Let those words sink in for a bit**

 **Grayson: The reason we're all so comfortable is because we think we know what's gonna happen. However, there's too much shit that's happened, especially around us.**

 **Satoshi: So you're basically saying we don't know what's gonna happen anymore? That we could just up and die at any moment?**

 **Grayson: I hadn't meant it that way, but I guess so. What I really mean is you guys shouldn't rely on the plot of the game or whatever fanfic you've ever read. When the time to make a decision comes, you make sure you do what you really think is right.**

 **Grace: So you're saying we should FUBAR the timeline?**

 **Grayson: Well, I didn't say that, you did.**

 **Dylan: You're not funny, Grayson.**

 **Grayson: I know. Anyway, take care, guys. See you in a bit.**

 **Albireo: See ya**

 **Marcus: You know, I still don't quite understand why he had to tell us that**

* * *

"See, I think this is what he means"

"Care to explain?" Albireo asked

"Well, think about it. The reason we're considering letting her get captured and killed is for story reasons, yeah?" he nodded silently "But isn't that what we were told NOT to do?"

"Look, I get it" Curtis answers "However, this isn't just story stuff. If she doesn't get executed, the Plegian army wouldn't lay down arms peacefully. That was the whole point of her sacrifice"

"True, but tell me, what did you base that prediction on?" I countered. He hesitated before answering

"'Asleep'…"

"Exactly. A fanfiction. Now, who's to say things'll turn out that way? Hell, who's to say things'll even turn out like the game did if we do nothing? Look, guys, this time, it's for real. No plotlines, no scripts. Everything will have an adverse effect on the world. Hell, just by BEING here, we've probably changed something"

"No" Albireo said sadly "Lucina said we were in her timeline too"

"Ugh, there you go again. Tell me, in Lucina's timeline, when did Emmeryn die?" I asked him

"She died-" Albireo's eyes widened in realization "The other night"

"EXACTLY! Seriously, did you guys forget that part!? Now, I don't care whether Emmeryn dies in Plegia or not, the point is, things have changed, and will keep changing in the future. Now, why don't we make the most of it and change things entirely to our advantage?" I offered. The three of them thought for a moment

"You know," Albireo finally spoke up "I like the sound of that"

"Me too" Curtis added "But it won't be easy"

"Hah! Who cares!? Between the four of us, we can handle anything!" Marcus said excitedly

"Not exactly 'anything', but we get your meaning"

"So, guys, it's decided" Albireo announces "By the time we're through with it, Fate is gonna be FUBAR"

* * *

 _ **?**_

* * *

 _Hah… Amusing… Think you can challenge fate? What do you think of yourselves? Just because you're from another world…_

 _Still, though, your optimism is oddly interesting… Perhaps you might not be hopeless after all…_

 _Hmm… Oh, well, I guess this is worth my while…_

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

"Remind me why Dylan gets to sit with you on your ballista carriage?" Marcus half-asked, half-groaned

"Because he's my guard. Honestly, I would've picked you but A: A lance and a shield is better defensive equipment than two axes; and B: You'll probably go charging in to battle even if I assigned you to stick here. So, yeah, blame yourself" I bluntly replied

"Hey! That's not true and you know it!" he protested

"Marcus" Curtis spoke "Remember that one time we played soccer for gym class back in senior year?"

"Oh, right. You volunteered to be goalkeeper but were almost always near midfield?" I recalled

"Hey, at least I got the one goal our team had! Remember, we won because of me!" he huffed

"That's true but my point stands: You do NOT know how to play defense" Curtis finished, earning a scowl from Marcus who replied

"Oh, yeah? Well, what about that time we played basketball last summer? I killed defense back then!"

"Dude, that wasn't defense, you pretty much made basketball a contact sport!"

"And on that day, the stereotype of blacks being aggressive basketball players was justified…" Curtis shook his head

"Oh, you wanna play stereotypes, Curtis!? Well, since you're Asian, you probably have-"

"Oh, wow, really, Marcus? Remember, we've got a young princess, her overprotective butler-knight, and her snooty highborn best friend- no offense, Maribelle- listening. You might want to watch what you're saying, okay?" Dylan scolded

"… I was gonna say 'abnormally good grades'… What did you think I was gonna say?" Marcus replied with a smirk

"Ugh, whatever" Dylan sighed

"Guys, gear up" I said grimly "We're about to start our ascent"

I looked up at the mountainous pass in front of us and felt a chill run down my spine. I suddenly remembered something I had read on the internet

 _The worst part of death isn't the dying… The worst part is knowing it's coming for you while you just wait for it…_

* * *

 _ **Chrom**_

* * *

 _Okay then… The Wanderers have readied their weapons… Weird… Are they expecting trouble?_

"Guys, why are your weapons drawn?" I asked. They just answered with an impish grin except Dylan

"Well, sir, we're going up a mountain. Usually, one expects bandits when they go anywhere near mountains" he said as-a-matter-of-factly

"Hm. Good point" I agreed "Alright, Shepherds, ready your weapons! We better be ready, just in case" and everyone brought out all their weapons, the sound of steel filling the air. Behind Emmeryn, Hierarch Randell visibly shuddered, probably because of the noise

"Chrom" Reflet tapped me on the shoulder "Who's that?" she pointed to the hierarch

"Oh, him? He's the hierarch, an old family friend of House Ylissea. He helped Emmeryn during the early years of her reign" I answered "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just…" she trailed off

"Just what?" she hesitated before answering

"… Never mind"

 _Weird… Why does it feel like everyone here knows something I don't?_

* * *

We were finally within sight of the palace. Of course, that just HAD to be when trouble struck.

I heard the heavy flapping of wings and loud, crass orders being barked around: Plegian wyvern riders. They came at us from the northern side of the mountain, flying over the palace while ground troops poured in from the eastern end of the pass

"Ylisseans!" the lead wyvern rider shouted "King Gangrel presents an ultimatum! Surrender your whore of a ruler and the Fire Emblem; or they shall be taken from you, along with your lives!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?" I drew Falchion, ready to charge but Reflet held me back

"Hold on, Chrom. Let me do this" she coolly said before turning to face the Plegians "Plegians! You are facing superior troops with no chance of victory! As such, Exalt Emmeryn presents you with an _offer_ " she stressed that last word, looking at Emm who nodded in approval before continuing "Leave now or any bloodshed will be entirely of your doing"

"Hah! You think your words-"

"Go" Reflet cut him off with one word, sharply spoken. At that very instant, a ballista bolt hurtled through the air, impaling itself into the enemy captain's wyvern, sending both mount and rider crashing into the ground

"Alright, Shepherds! Move the line forward! Frederick will be our lead man. Sully, Stahl and Sumia, you work on flank security. Mages and healers, stay close to Albireo's carriage, take care of the wyverns. Everyone else, on Chrom!" and the Shepherds scrambled into their positions, forming up with me behind Frederick

"When I give the order" Reflet continued with the orders "Everyone rush forward, got it?" the Shepherds replied their affirmation

"So, Chrom" Vaike spoke from behind me "Wanna see who gets more kills in? Loser buys the winner a drink"

"Hah. And where do you think you're getting that money from?" I joked

"Oh, it's on! Teach is gonna show you how it's done!" he said before running ahead of the formation

"Vaike! Hold form-" Reflet tried to call but it's too late. Vaike was already in the enemy ranks "Damn it! Whatever, EVERYONE GO NOW!"

The Shepherds let out a collective war cry as we charged into the enemy. I immediately moved to back Vaike up

"Dammit, Vaike!" I said as I caught a sword aimed for his head "What were you thinking!?"

"Hah! I wasn't!" he replied as he parried a lance before kicking its owner and gutting him. I sighed before slashing at my opponent. However, we were quickly surrounded by enemy troops.

"Damn… I guess I shouldn't have done that" Vaike said

"Jeez, you think?" I spat as we stood back-to-back, ready to fight to the death when I heard the sound of Sumia's voice

"Excuse me! Coming through!" she called as she swooped in on her pegasus taking the Plegians by surprise followed by Frederick as he crashed into the enemy's encirclement

"Milord, never do that again" he said in between thrusts of his lance

"Of course" I replied in between parries "Excellent timing, Frederick" I praised the knight "You too, Sumia!" I called before returning my attention to the battle. Sully, Stahl and Sumia were holding off the wyverns from our position very nicely. Gaius, Lon'qu and Panne were darting around the enemy formation, picking off their forces with lethally precise strikes. Whatever forces got through them were met by me, Frederick, Vaike, and Kellam.

I looked back at our support unit. Between Reflet, Miriel, Ricken, and Maribelle's magic and Albireo and Virion's arrows, the enemy couldn't get close to them, which was good.

However, I noticed a group of silhouettes approaching us from the horizon. As they grew closer, I recognized the one up front as a pegasus, followed by…

 _Oh, gods, more wyverns?_

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

Okay, so everything was going pretty well. Key word: "was"

Look, I was pretty sure the Plegians could send in wyvern riders but I had no idea they could bring so many of them so deep into our territory. I'm pretty convinced that this was really just a suicide attack to kill Emmeryn.

Now, another thing I wasn't expecting was the second wave. Judging by the pegasus they're apparently chasing, they must've swept clean through our mobile defense, leaving only poorly-prepared ground forces between the Plegian army and the people of Ylisse.

 _SO, we're basically on a time limit right now. Huh, no pressure_

"Fire support, clear out the nearby wyverns as fast as possible! Sumia, run interference, help the pegasus rider get here! Everyone else, get rid of their ground forces ASAP and prepare for a second wave!" I shouted, hoping everyone heard me clearly

"On it!" Sumia replied as she flew away to assist the Ylissean rider. The rest just stayed silent and went through their assigned tasks to the best of their ability.

The mages intensified their attack, putting out much more powerful wind magic tossing the wyverns around for Albireo and Virion to finish off. However, they wouldn't be able to keep it up. Ricken was visibly straining while Maribelle and Miriel were beginning to tire out as well. Albireo had switched to his crossbow, foregoing power in favor of volume in the hope of getting in as many hits as he can. However, his bolts were hardly powerful enough to pierce the wyverns' scales. On the other hand, Virion manages to always hit the riders but at the cost of greatly increased aiming time. We really need something to turn this tide.

I grabbed my tome and started charging a spell I had just learned and had hardly practiced. Hopefully, I can at least bring them down with it…

"Arcthunder!" I stretched my hand out and launched a large sphere of electrical energy. It was crude and imperfect, dispersing on contact with the enemy but for some reason- and very fortunately for us- this ended up in our advantage as the loose tendrils of electricity sought out the Plegian riders whose armor had probably attracted the electricity. The magic, especially in its dispersed state, was far from powerful enough to kill but had at least knocked them off their mounts, twitching as they hit the ground.

"Alright, we're clear here!" Chrom called

 _Perfect timing_

"Great! Form up on us! Get ready to meet the enemy reinforcements!" our cavalry surged forward, switching to javelins as they rode up on us

"So, we'll be trying to nail these overgrown lizards from here?" Sully asked

"Not that we can't hit them but their scales might prove to be too tough for thrown weapons to pierce through" Frederick added

"Yes, but what choice do we have?"

"Um, aren't you forgetting someone?" Albireo asked from his firing position

"I meant the cavalry, you idiot"

"No time to bicker, here they come!" Frederick snapped before throwing a javelin at a wyvern rider. While his had hit the rider square in the chest, Stahl's Sully's and Kellam's had just sailed through the enemy formation

"Shit! We're being swamped here!" Dylan swore as he blocked the claws of a wyvern with his shield before it was put down by Gaius who had climbed onto the carriage and leapt at the beast's neck, plunging his sword into it

"You guys shouldn't count on that happening again" the thief said casually

"Show off…" Marcus mumbled as he hacked at a diving wyvern, barely scratching it but at least forcing it back

"Guys, we won't be able to hold them off!" Stahl said, a tinge of worry in his voice

"Nonsense! We've got a ballista!" Marcus replied.

Upon hearing this, one wyvern retreated before diving straight at Albireo's position. The blonde had barely enough time to fire off a bolt, impaling the beast before it crashed into the carriage, smashing it into pieces

"Shit, Albireo!" I exclaimed worriedly before running into the wreckage "Cover me!" I yelled

"Of course" Virion replied, foregoing his flowery language in understanding of the urgent situation we're in

"You just HAD to talk, huh, Marcus?" I heard Curtis deadpan behind me

I arrived at the wreck and found Albireo under a wyvern wing and some wood. The archer looked disoriented and bruised but at the very least, conscious

"Oh, I'm so glad you're alive!" I sighed in relief as I dragged him out of the rubble

"Yeah. I'm glad too" he coughed out, clutching his ribs as he tried to stand

"Out of the way! Healer coming through!" Lissa rushed to our position

"Oh gods- hngh- not you" Albireo groaned

"Oh shush, you. Reflet, get back in the fight. I'll take over here"

"Alright. I'll leave him to you" I said before nodding to the two of them and heading to Chrom's side

"Great. You're back. Apparently, the pegasus rider they were chasing was Cordelia"

"Cordelia? The one from the other night"

"Exactly. So anyway, what's the plan?" I thought for a moment before answering

"Try to get more of our forces airborne. We'll try to have them cross over to the wyverns and take out the riders"

"What!? Are you fucking crazy!?" Sully exclaimed as she held back a wyvern by poking at its face

"We've got little choice now! Our fire support's not gonna hold up!" Curtis shouted "I'm going up! Sumia!"

"Roger!" the girl replied before taking him up onto her pegasus

 _Right. So when Curtis starts talking, that must mean things are getting real_

"Give me a lift here, red!" Gaius called out, presumably to Cordelia

"Do NOT call me 'Red'!" she replied in annoyance but following nonetheless. Soon enough, the two pegasus riders flew side by side, chasing down the same wyvern. The Plegian knew what they were doing but with two of them on his tail, there wasn't much he could do and his wyvern was boarded by both men who cut him down and threw him off his mount before returning to the pegasi to look for another target. I shifted my focus to our other forces

"All right, mages, switch to lightning spells! Alternate fire on single targets! Follow my lead!" I ordered before shooting off basic thunder spells.

 _Damn, I sure could use that imperfect Arcthunder. The thing is, we've got more armored troops now. We were lucky the last one didn't zap our archers and mages_

The mages fired off their spells, one at a time every second. Amidst the veritable barrage of lightning magic, arrows and crossbow bolts (I see Albireo's recovered enough to shoot), Sumia and Cordelia's team picked off the distracted Plegian riders.

 _Well, we finally have the advantage. Let's just get this over with_

* * *

"All right, how'd you know we're here?" Chrom interrogated one of the Plegians I had incapacitated with the imperfect Arcthunder

"Hah! You'll get no names from me!" the soldier spat in his face. Frederick had to be manually restrained just so he doesn't kill the guy. Chrom just wiped his face and spoke again

"You know, I'm gonna let this slide just once. Now tell me: who tipped you off?" this time, the soldier didn't speak and instead, glared at the prince

"Excuse me, Cap, let me" Curtis moved forward, prompting Chrom to step aside "So. You're not gonna talk? Well, I've got a little offer to make you" he unsheathed one of his daggers (okay, so he's got a lance, two curved shortswords and a bunch of daggers. This guy's well-stocked, huh?)

"See this blade? It's pretty average but if you look closely, it's actually really thin. Pretty useful for, say, flaying" at that last word, the Plegian's face paled while Curtis' broke into a manic grin

"Now, here's my proposition: Say a name- the RIGHT name- and this blade goes into THAT person. However, if you don't talk, I will have your hide and mail it to your family" the prospect of being peeled alive certainly frightened the man (hell, it frightened US) and he nearly broke into tears

"Alright, I'll talk!" he paused before speaking the traitor's name "It was him. Hierarch Randell" he pointed with bound hands at the man beside Chrom

Then it all clicked: Why the Hierarch was nervous before the battle even began, why he hid during the battle (so the Plegians wouldn't see him, call him out and cause Chrom to have him killed), and why he had been shaking all the while after the fight

Almost instantly- no. BEFORE the Plegian even finished the name, Curtis flipped the knife in his hand and stabbed the hierarch right in the throat

The old man grabbed his throat, which was spilling blood as he fell to his knees and gurgled out a final curse before he finally died. All of us were stunned silent before the Plegian spoke up

"Wait… Y-you weren't gonna f-flay me?"

"Huh?" Curtis almost looked surprised "Of course not! What kind of monster do you think I am?"

"Wait, we don't even know if he was guilty!" Chrom protested

"Trust me, he is. Isn't he?" Marcus asked the soldier

"Y-yes! I swear, it was him!" the soldier pleaded "You could ask the other men! He sold you out for a place on the King's council! Please believe me!"

"Wait, you knew?" Lissa asked, still in shock after what she had just seen

"Well, that's why we positioned him near Chrom and our prisoner: so Curtis can get him quick" Albireo said, referring to how he and the other Wanderers surrounded Randell, ensuring he was where they wanted him to be"

"But how did you know that? I must say, I am intrigued: Hierarch Randell has always been a friend of the Halidom and, as such, would be highly unlikely to betray the crown" Miriel stated

"Eh, call it a hunch" Marcus shrugged

"A hunch?" Chrom questioned "You killed a man over a hunch?"

"Well, it worked. Trust us, Chrom- and forgive us in advance- but you're gonna see a lot more of this in the future. Of us having hunches I mean" Albireo said

* * *

"I see…" Emmeryn spoke as we relayed what happened. For safety purposes, we hid her in an inconspicuous supply cart, the same one Randell had used

"Yeah. Sorry, Emm" Chrom sighed apologetically

"Well, Curtis, I thank you for your efforts but surely there could've been a less violent way?" she pleaded, ever the pacifist

"I'm sorry, milady, I'll try to restrain myself" Curtis apologized

"Well, anyway, with Cordelia's reports of the border defenses being broken, it would be safe to assume that the Plegian army is sweeping through the country by now" I stated "Which would mean we would have to bring Emmeryn to Ferox"

"No" the Exalt firmly responded "I shall not leave my people. Captain Phila, take me to Ylisstol"

"Your Grace, please-"

"That is an order, Phila" she spoke sternly, causing the Pegasus Knight to concede "As for you, Chrom, you will head to Ferox and request aid"

"NO!" Chrom protested "Emm, you cant!"

"Precisely, your Grace" Albireo added "With the size and aggressiveness of Plegia's army, it would be very likely that they take Ylisstol before the week even ends! You would most certainly be caught prisoner and likely executed!" he stated, eliciting a gasp from Lissa who was frightened by the prospect of losing her sister

"Emm, please! Listen to them!" the young princess pleaded. Emmeryn thought for a moment before speaking

"And what makes you so sure?"

"Milady, this is no time to play games. The threat is very real and-"

"And so, I MUST show my people that I stand with them. What kind of ruler would I be if I left my people?"

"And if you get caught? Or killed? What then?" Chrom asked causing Emmeryn to ponder for a moment

"Then I shall gladly give my life for my people"

* * *

 **End of Chapter 14**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: "You know, we're in a fantastical alternate universe so why the fuck do I have to read a GODDAMNED HISTORY BOOK!?" (correction: essay)**

* * *

 _ **Curtis**_

* * *

 _We'd failed…_

The same thought repeated itself, over and over in my head.

 _We hadn't been able to stop her. We hadn't been able to save her._

I looked down at my hands and instantly recalled how I had just killed- rather horrifically- the hierarch. Then, I remembered what I had said to the Plegian soldier we had captured

 _Did I really do that? Did I really say those things? What the hell kind of monster am I?_

Trying to distract myself, I looked at Dylan and Marcus, hoping they would try to pick up the mood a little. However, they seemed just as distracted is I did and if Marcus- with his ADHD- couldn't find a way to distract himself, then that could only mean that we are facing one hell of a problem.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned my head to look at its owner. It was Chrom.

"Hey" he started "Look, I can see this much: you didn't like what you did, huh?" I just nodded prompting him to continue "Yeah I figured as much. It's almost easy to take a life in the heat of battle but once the fighting dies down, you just couldn't seem to bring yourself to do it. So thanks" he gave me a small smile "I doubt any of us would've been able to execute the hierarch. Hell, I probably wouldn't have either. So thanks for staining your hands just to keep ours that little bit cleaner" he pursed his lips and tried to form another smile but seemed almost appalled at what he said, as if it were some tasteless joke.

Thinking on his words, I continued walking as we marched on towards Ferox

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

"Alright guys" I addressed the Wanderers while Chrom met with the Khans "I get that you're feeling down. I really do. That being said, we have to look forward now"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Curtis asked "We'd failed to stop Emmeryn and we had to execute a person. We're NINETEEN for crying out loud, we shouldn't be dealing with this! And now, you're trying to cheer us up?"

"I'm not trying to cheer you up. Go ahead, by all means, sulk all you want, I'll go and join you but when it's time to work, we'd better fucking get to work"

"So, now, we're planning to rescue Emmeryn, right?" Dylan asked

"Yes"

"Any idea how we should do that?"

I froze, unable to give an answer

"I… I'll work on it"

* * *

 _ **Reflet**_

* * *

"Alright, we're in" Khan Basilio said after listening to our predicament

"However, you do have a plan, right?" Khan Flavia questioned

"Well, we do, but it's still incomplete" I answered, spreading out a map of the continent on the table "So, my plan for now is that the Feroxi armies launch an assault on a broad front along the border- or at least, the accessible sections of it- while the Ylissean army first makes a sweep across Ylisse to clear out the Plegian occupants before attacking on a narrower front across this section of the desert" I pointed "The sandstorms at this time of year would provide an environment well-suited for offensive operations"

"A war on two fronts, eh?" The large man thought "Alright, that sounds about right. But the thing is, you'll have to coordinate both armies to strike at the same time or else we'd just be stopped one after the other"

"Oh, coordination isn't a problem. To that end, we'll supply you with two of our soldiers. Their little subgroup has a… _very convenient_ communication system" I replied. The Khan crossed his arms and nodded in satisfaction

"Alright then, I'll leave that to you"

"However" The other Khan interjected "You said it's still 'incomplete'. What else do you need?"

"Well… I'm not exactly sure how we'll go about the actual rescue. I doubt they'll keep her alive for long unless, of course, it were a trap"

"Which it most definitely is" Frederick said "The Mad King is exactly that kind of person"

"Right. That means that they have a plan in place and we'll have to counter it. The problem is, we don't quite know what they have in store for us"

"Well, I heard Grayson's in Plegia right now, maybe I can get him to give us reports or something" Albireo suggested, having just entered the room

"And how do you plan to communicate with him, kid?" Flavia crossed her arms

"Oh, he's in that little group with that 'communication system'" I provided before facing Albireo "Can you do it?" he shrugged

"Eh. He said he'll be busy but I'll try"

"Great. Thanks" I smiled at him

"Alright, with that out of the way, are we done here?" Basilio asked

"Well, until we get more information, I believe we are" I rolled up the map "Thank you Khans Basilio and Flavia. I'll send over two of our men to you later. Prepare your armies and keep them on high alert near the border until we send you the go-ahead"

* * *

"So, who you gonna send over?" Albireo asked as he came up to me

"Hmm, I'm not sure about the other one but I'm definitely planning on sending you"

"What? You're sending me away? But I thought you liked me"

"I have no clue where you got that idea" I bit back "Anyway, they already know you so that should take care of any problems with cooperation. I'm just not sure whether to send Marcus or Curtis"

"Huh? Why not Dylan? I could use the protection since he's the only one who'll be able to keep himself in line and not run off into the battle"

"Yeah, well the thing is, you have no ballista now so you have no excuse for not being able to fend for yourself so shut up and start acting like a man" I teased

"Ugh, fine"

"Good. By the way, make sure to contact Grayson, okay? We'll need to know whether or not he'll be able to give us intel on Plegian troop movements"

"Yeah, got it" He answered "I'll go ahead and write him right now" he took his leave and went his way leaving me to my thoughts

* * *

 _ **Albireo**_

* * *

As soon as I got to my room, I went straight to my desk and took my comm tome

 **Albireo: Hey Grayson**

No reply

 **Albireo: Grayson!**

 **Grayson: What? I thought I told you I'll be going dark in Plegia for a while. That means complete communication shutdown**

 **Albireo: Dude, when you think about it, that doesn't mean you couldn't use this thing. It's not like a cellphone or radio that can be tracked**

 **Grace: He has a point there**

 **Albireo: See? Even your sister agrees with me**

 **Grayson: Ugh, fine. What do you want?**

 **Albireo: I was gonna ask if you can give us intel on Plegian troop movements throughout the duration of the campaign. You know, go all Mission Impossible on them, sneak in to bases to steal their secret plans and shit**

 **Grayson: HAHAHA no. Just no.**

 **Albireo: But why? I thought you were supposed to be some sort of superhuman agent since you have a contract with Stryker**

 **Grayson: That doesn't mean I can waltz into a military base, fight through a whole bunch of soldiers and grab a bunch of documents I wouldn't even recognize**

 **Albireo: Wow… For once during our stay here you're actually thinking about the consequences**

 **Grayson: Explain. Now.**

 **Albireo: Well, it's just that you always seem to throw yourself into the action, you know? Ever since day one, you easily decided to rush into the bandits. Then you had the idea of fighting in the tournament in Ferox. Then the assassination attempt on Emmeryn. So I was kinda expecting you would be our go-to man for missions like this**

 **Grayson: While I'm flattered that you think that of me, that's not quite it. In Southtown, we had no choice, it was fight or die. In Ferox, that was a controlled environment plus there was practically nothing on the line. Sure, we got a deal out of it and got this far into our plans thanks to that but that was all just a bonus, we didn't really need it. Then, in Ylisstol, we only went along with Lucina. None of that screams 'commando'**

 **Albireo: But your plan with the Pegasus Knights…**

 **Grayson: Shock tactics. They were facing you guys on one front. They certainly weren't expecting an attack from another front, especially something that stupid. That was able to divert their attention from you, allowing you to rush them that would in turn bail our sorry asses out of there. If it was just us, then we certainly would've died**

 **Albireo: So you mean you weren't actually going Rambo?**

 **Grayson: What? No! That would be stupid!**

 **Albireo: Well, there goes my opinion of you. Honestly, that's the reason I was not freaking out about being here. I thought you would always be able to save my hide since you were some sort of super-soldier**

 **Grayson: Believe me, I'm just as scared as you are. The thing is, we're already here and there's nothing we can do about it but to go along. You can't rely on me too much, okay? I'm just like you, only I'm wrapped up in something bigger besides being here.**

 **Albireo: Alright then. Sorry to trouble you. I'll go ahead and talk to Reflet now**

 **Grayson: Whoa there, I didn't quite say no to your request. Look, I won't be able to get much but I'm in Plegia anyway, might as well get around, see if I can pick up anything. I can probably get you information on known Plegian strongholds and troop emplacements but not so much about their movements, okay?**

 **Albireo: Really? Thanks, man**

 **Grayson: No problem. Now, go on, you guys have a war to fight**

* * *

"Hey, Reflet" I knocked on the tactician's door "Grayson said he'd be able to get us some intel"

"Huh? Hold on, I'm coming" she answered. Moments later, she opened the door and invited me inside

"So," she started "What did he say?"

"Well, he said he won't be able to get ahold of actual Plegian orders but he'll be able to get some intel from the civilians regarding their strongholds and emplacements"

"Well, that's just about as good as we were expecting" she said "Though, I have to ask, where did you get the idea of stealing Plegian military documents?"

"Oh, uh…" I trailed off "I just sorta thought they could do it, being the fighters they are"

"Albireo, you can't possibly have thought that a team of three could break into a military base by themselves. Honestly, sometimes, I think you're crazier than Grayson is" she sighed

 _Hah. Not saying much, considering what he just told me_

"He already told me that himself, thank you very much" I deadpanned "So, with that out of the way, who do you plan on sending with me?" I asked

"Hm? Oh, I decided to let you just bring along whoever you want" she shrugged

"Huh? Okay then, I choose you" I teased

 _GODDAMN IT I MADE A POKEMON REFERENCE AND HAVE NO ONE TO SHARE IT WITH_

"That's not what I meant, asshat. Choose: Marcus or Curtis"

"Wow, your definition of 'whoever' is rather strange, don't you think? And what about Dylan? Why can't I bring him?"

"Well, we're gonna need him to cover our mages and healers"

"Oh great! What did you say about being able to fend for myself? Does that not apply to them?"

"Albireo, think about it. Do you honestly think Lissa and Maribelle could hold their own? I've seen Lissa practice. She tries, gods bless her, but I've seen kids playing knights who could fight better than she does. Maribelle talks big, sure, but what does she have to defend herself with? A parasol. How do you expect her to fight off enemy soldiers with a GODDAMNED UMBRELLA?"

"What about Miriel and Ricken?" I asked

"I think you get the general idea now" she huffed

"Aww, but I wanted to hear your thoughts about them. Preferably in the most insulting manner possible"

"You are an absolutely horrible human being, Albireo" she crossed her arms "Fine. Miriel stands absolutely no chance in a scrap. The only exercise she probably gets is when she lifts her books and puts them back in the shelves. As for Ricken, well, he's a FUCKING SIXTEEN-YEAR OLD"

"Wow, Reflet, when did you learn to cuss?" I teased

"Eh, you're rubbing off on me" she shrugged "Anyway, I hope you get it now"

"Sure, no problem. So, I guess I'll be bringing Curtis along, then"

"Well, might I ask why?"

"Reflet, you just gave me a chance to get away from Marcus. Who in their right mind would pass that up?" she laughed at that one

"Albireo, have I told you how horrible you are?"

* * *

 _ **Grayson**_

* * *

"So, did you guys get anything?" I faced Robin and Lucina in the room we had rented. The two of them nodded

"Apparently, Plegia has two top generals" Robin started "General Campari is in charge of the eastern half of the country and, to an extent, handles the capital's defense"

"A large portion of his forces were used for the attack on Ylisse and are serving as the occupation force" Lucina added "That should mean that the eastern section of the country's less well-defended"

"Yeah, but that doesn't count for anything since the Ylisseans will still have to clear out the Plegians in Ylisse" I frowned "What about the other one? Mustafa, right?" the tactician nodded

"Correct. General Mustafa is in charge of the western portion of the country. Apparently, he was the previous king's top general but lost that position to Campari since Gangrel took over"

"Oh? Well, that's interesting. Isn't he the better commander of the two?" I asked

"Well, yes, but he and Gangrel don't quite see eye-to-eye"

"Hm. So, basically, he's not completely for Gangrel, huh?" I pondered "Maybe we could use him… What of his men?" I asked

"Well, they're certainly fierce fighters. However, we learned that most of them were stationed with Mustafa's forces as punishment for speaking out against the crown so they're not the most loyal bunch. If anything, they're loyal to their commander, who in turn is only following orders under threat of punishment" I had to hold back a laugh

"So, basically, Gangrel sent all the dissidents over to one place and put them under the command of a talented general who he knows doesn't like him very well? Oh boy, I'd love to see where this goes" I smiled "Alright, tomorrow, I'll go see what I can find about the previous king. Maybe I can get something that can help us with Mustafa. Thanks guys, go ahead and get some rest or whatever. We might be able to take it easy tomorrow. I'll go ahead and report what we have to Albireo" I dismissed them

 _Alright then, that's out of the way. Now to dig up some info about Plegia's previous king..._

* * *

The next day, I headed to the public library. I figured I could find something there since it's not like I'm looking for classified information or something. I could probably find it in the history section.

I entered the old but well-kept building and immediately noted its vast selection of books.

 _Impressive. Whatever else may be said of them, Plegians sure know how to value knowledge. If only said knowledge did not concern the resurrection of an apocalyptic dracolich_

"Good morning, sir! Anything I can help you with?" The receptionist asked, smiling

"Morning. Say, do you have any books here on recent history? Specifically the previous king?" I asked politely

"Oh, you mean King Alvar?" she asked "You must be a traveler then. There's hardly a Plegian alive who doesn't know about him. We have a few books covering events during his reign. They're in the front of aisle number twelve on the third floor"

"Thank you" I smiled at her and went on my way.

After a few minutes of searching, I eventually found a book with a title I thought appropriate: "A Brief History of the Reign of King Alvar I of Plegia. 992-997 AS"

Not quite understanding the dates yet, I opened the book and found a set of papers tucked in the front page. All containing various notes except one that seemed to be a draft of some sort. Curious, I began reading it

* * *

 _An Essay on King Alvar I of Plegia_

 _By Celerina Nothos_

 _King Alvar I, successor of King Regulus III, was presumably born in the year 965 AS to unknown parents. His ascent to power began when he presented himself to the Royal Magical Institute in the year 982 AS and displayed both incredible magical aptitude and an exceptionally keen intellect, eventually becoming one of King Regulus' personal guards and one of the kingdom's top mages, barring those of the Grimleal._

 _During the Southeastern Insurrection of 987 AS, he was tasked with locating and hunting down the rebel leader, Zafran. He accomplished this task by interrogating captured rebels in a pleasant but inexplicably intimidating manner and captured Zafran by setting a trap with himself as the bait, posing as an overseer to a virtually undefended supply caravan, knowing that the rebel forces were sorely lacking in various supplies. In the ensuing battle, he nearly single-handedly subdued the rebel forces and returned to the capital victorious, receiving the title Chief Royal Tactician._

 _It was during this time that he met then Grimleal priestess Alyanna di Aurelis, eventually convincing her to turn her back on the Grimleal and marrying her in 989 AS. Due to Alvar's lack of a family name, in contrast to Alyanna's possession of a noble one, Alvar took the di Aurelis name as his own. This marriage has been known to have been fruitless, but nonetheless, their relationship was a very happy one._

 _Due to the knowledge that the King lacked an heir, the higher-ranked nobles often vied for his blessing to become his successor. Originally, Alvar- now known as Alvar di Aurelis- wanted no part of it. However, seeing how most of the nobles were scheming and corrupt politicians, he eventually stepped in and, thanks to his wise and insightful nature, in addition to his unwavering resolve to serve the people, he won the King's blessing and officially became the heir to the Plegian crown._

 _King Regulus XVI died of old age on the twentieth of January in the year 992 AS. Alvar di Aurelia ascended the throne on the sixth of March that same year, beginning his short but fruitful reign._

 _Due to his conflict with the Grimleal regarding his wife, he- like his predecessor- mostly shunned them. However, he recognized the existence of the cult and permitted them to flourish, insofar as they do not cause any societal problems. Interestingly, the Grimleal were strangely cooperative and were even known to have assisted in humanitarian efforts from time to time._

 _Many foreign leaders, upon hearing of his benevolent nature, paid King Alvar I visits. Most notably, Chancellor Wilhelm of the Valmese Federation of States, the young Khans Basilio and Flavia of Regna Ferox and the newly-ascended Exalt Lucius of Ylisse._

 _During his reign, the Plegian economy boomed as exports of minerals- most notably, Spirit Dust- soared to an all-time high. Due to high trust and approval from trade companies- foremost among these being the Anna Mercantile Clan- Plegia was able to import significantly larger amounts of foodstuffs which greatly improved the quality of life in the nation, especially since Plegia is known to have little arable land._

 _However, this oft-described "golden age" would only last for little more than five years. In the year 997 AS, King Alvar arranged a meeting with some known Grimleal priests. After several hours, the ministers grew suspicious and decided to check on the meeting. Upon opening the door, they found the room completely vacant. A nationwide manhunt ensued but none of the attendees were ever found. Suspicion initially fell on the Grimleal but, though they hadn't tried to deny it, it was deemed implausible since the Grimleal priests who attended also vanished without a trace._

 _In the ensuing power vacuum following the King's mysterious disappearance, many nobles returned to their old battles for political power. One particular noble, Gangrel Anvari, quickly gained the support of many other nobles thanks to his charisma and outgoing attitude and so on the seventh of September, 997 AS, as King Alvar was presumed dead, he was succeeded by King Gangrel I._

 _Footnote:_

 _King Alvar's disappearance would set in motion the first Ylisse-Plegia war. Originally, King Gangrel maintained friendly relations with the Halidom of Ylisse. However, this fell apart because of the Grimleal who seemed eager to test their new leader's mettle. The cult raided villages, taking many children to be taught in the ways of the Grimleal. These attacks eventually reached Ylisse, whose Exalt was furious and demanded the new King to put a stop to the cult's actions. However, with King Alvar gone, the cult had no one left to keep them in check and had ingrained themselves to deeply within society. Thus, King Gangrel found that he could not stop them and tried to explain this to Exalt Lucius, suggesting that the two nations work mutually to strengthen the border to at least keep the Grimleal problem within Plegia. However, the Exalt took this as a sign of weakness from the King and so, in the year 999 AS, he decided to remove the Grimleal threat himself, launching a self-proclaimed "holy crusade" into Plegia. This war would last for three years and claim the lives of countless soldiers on both sides as well as the Exalt who succumbed to an infected flesh wound. The war ended on the year 1002 with the ascent of Ylisse's Exalt Emmeryn I who immediately brought a halt to the fighting._

* * *

 _Well that was… enlightening… Honestly, thanks a bunch, Celerina! You saved me a lot of reading!_

I arranged the papers and tucked them all back in the book before returning it to the shelf. On my way out, I greeted the receptionist and thanked her for her help.

 _Alright then, that's that. Though I don't get this weird feeling I've been having. None of that looks like it'll help with Mustafa but why do I feel like I'm gonna need it later on?_

 _Oh well, Chekhov's Gun and all that, I guess._

* * *

 **End of Chapter 15**

* * *

 **A/N** I AM ALIIIIIVE! Look, I'm really really sorry about the HUGE gap between chapters. I was expecting to have an irregular update schedule but I didn't expect it to be THIS bad.

So, what's my excuse this time? Well, my band had a few school performances and our school decided it would be fun to hand us a project that would be graded in ALL of our subjects. Luckily, we worked in groups of forty-ish so we could just focus on doing the parts that we're good at so as long as I agreed to handle the chemistry portions of the project, they wouldn't force anything else on me. Still though, that drained me so I had to rest up a bit before I could stomach the thought of working on ANYTHING at all. Oh, and I hit a snag working on the first part of this chapter. I guess it shows by the fact that I switched POVs more times than Italy switched sides in their wars (which is not saying much since that was only twice)

Anyway, if you guys have any comments (i.e. Why is the essay better-written than the story itself?) feel free (read: PLEASE) leave a review.

Well, that's that. See you next time!

-NS01 out-


	16. Not a chapter, sorry

**Hey guys! Now, sorry for this not being an update. I really just have to tell you this:**

 **Simply put: I think this story is shit. Well, at least written like shit. I still do personally like the content.**

 **Anyway, this is just to give you guys a heads-up: I won't be updating this story for quite a bit. Don't worry, I'm not giving up on it. Quite the opposite, in fact. I'll be spending my time reorganizing this story and fixing all the previous chapters. Now, content-wise, nothing's gonna change too much, I really just have to improve the presentation.**

 **So yeah, you won't be seeing me until I think this rubbish heap is a bit less rubbish. In the meantime, go check out Mixed Valence's "Earthborne". I assure you, it is infinitely better than this garbage. See ya when I get back!**

 **-NS01 out-**


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